Heathrow Highlights ChargeBox as Partner in Expansion Plans
Heathrow has unveiled a bold £49 billion expansion masterplan — including a new third runway (£21 bn), the new T5X terminal (£12 bn) and modernising existing infrastructure (£15 bn). The project will nearly double passenger capacity to 150 million per year, accommodate up to 756,000 flights, deliver a 50% increase in cargo capacity and contribute 0.43% to UK GDP.
A Proud Moment for ChargeBox
We’re honoured to be mentioned directly in this strategic roadmap:
“Local SME ChargeBox Ltd is a pioneer in passenger charging, based in Chiswick. A charging-first, data-led SME, ChargeBox designs and manufactures its smart mobile device charging solutions in the UK. After a successful trial in Terminal 2, Heathrow expanded the rollout across all terminals within four months. The solution has since attracted interest from airports across Europe and North America, having seen it in action at Heathrow.” Read the official report here. Heathrow Airport Expansion Plan.
This official recognition cements ChargeBox’s place among the 1,100+ SMEs assisting Heathrow in delivering sustainable, smart, passenger-first infrastructure.
How ChargeBox Supports Heathrow’s Ambitious Goals
As Heathrow gears up for unprecedented growth, passenger infrastructure must be scalable, resilient and experience-driven.
ChargeBox supports this vision with:
- Fast-charge units currently live in three terminals, set for full airport deployment by the end of August 2025
- Operational intelligence, including real-time diagnostics, usage analytics and predictive maintenance
- Passenger-first, future-ready solutions that reduce stress, enhance satisfaction and support improved ASQ/Skytrax scores
Heathrow’s proposal is much more than expansion — it’s an opportunity to redefine passenger experience and operational excellence. To be named among the pioneering SMEs partnering on that journey is a profound milestone for ChargeBox.
Want to learn more about how we’re laying the foundation for future-ready airport infrastructure?
Get in touch and speak with one of our friendly team at ChargeBox 🙂
ChargeBox joins Heathrow’s ‘Made in the UK’ campaign
Smart, British-built charging infrastructure that’s designed for passengers – and built for airports.
We’re pleased to share that ChargeBox has been selected as one of just 12 suppliers featured in Heathrow’s new ‘Made in the UK’ campaign – a joint initiative with Make UK that celebrates British innovation, manufacturing, and SME excellence.
Out of more than 1,100 supply chain partners, 60% of whom are small or medium-sized businesses, this campaign shines a light on those quietly delivering real value behind the scenes. We’re proud to represent the SME community and grateful to Heathrow and Make UK for recognising the contribution of companies like ours.
Solving a Real Problem, the Right Way
Charging is often treated as a secondary feature in public spaces. But at airports, where passengers are more dependent than ever on connected devices, it’s a necessity. When charging doesn’t work or can’t keep up with demand, it impacts both the customer experience and operational performance.
At ChargeBox, we’ve spent over 20 years addressing this challenge head-on. Our focus is simple: to make public charging smarter, more reliable and easier to manage. We don’t bolt charging onto furniture; we build it as intelligent, airport-grade infrastructure, supported by real-time data, remote diagnostics and minimal maintenance.
Made and Managed in the UK
From design and coding to final assembly, our systems are built in the UK. It’s part of what makes us different, and it means we can move fast, stay flexible, and maintain full control over quality. Our charging units can be found in every terminal at Heathrow.
A Shared Commitment to Smarter Infrastructure
This campaign isn’t just about celebrating British business, it’s about recognising the people and companies working quietly to improve the systems we all rely on. Airports like Heathrow are under pressure to deliver better passenger experiences with smarter, safer, and more sustainable infrastructure. We’re proud to be part of that mission.
To hear more about our work at Heathrow, link the image below to watch ‘Made in the UK’, a short film featuring our CEO, Ian Hobson.
If you’d like to learn more about how we help airports deliver exceptional charging experiences with minimal operational overhead, get in touch or explore our airport solutions at www.chargebox.com.
What are the risks of public phone charging?
This month the FBI warned that using public charging may put your data at risk but what are the REAL risks of using public phone charging?
ChargeBox has provided secure charging solutions for public use since 2005. We are privileged to partner with many of the world’s best-known retail, education, public transport, healthcare and event organisations.
We have never experienced a breach of our users’ data in all that time with over 55 million charges provided!
So let’s look at what we know about public charging stations and the risks you need to be aware of when using one.
What is Juice-Jacking?
“Juice Jacking” is a cyber-attack where a hacker gains unauthorised access to a device such as a smartphone by compromising the USB port. Once malware is installed on a device, it can perform various malicious actions, such as stealing sensitive data, track user activity, or even give hackers remote access to the device.
OMG, that sounds scary. Does it happen a lot?
No, it doesn’t. It’s unclear how common these attacks are; any instances have not been widely publicised. The risk was first identified in 2011, so it’s not a new threat.
So, the risk of it happening is extremely low?
The risk of ‘Juice Jacking’ is infinitely small. However, your safety and access to essential phone capabilities are at risk if your battery is low or out of power. These risks are far higher than the danger of having your device hacked.
So are public charging solutions safe?
It’s not possible to say, with absolute 100% certainty, that ALL public charging solutions are safe but as with most things in life, it’s up to the individual to make informed decisions.
That makes sense. Can I limit the likelihood of this happening to me?
It’s important to practice good cybersecurity habits. Here’s what we recommend:
- Always keep your device up-to-date with software updates, especially security updates. This is your first level of protection against any form of attack on your device in any situation.
- Once software updates are no longer available due to the age of your device, you should consider getting a newer device.
- If you are using a public charging solution, where are you? If you’re in a location managed by a respectable company, you can expect that company to have procured a safe & secure solution that can’t be tampered with.
- If you’re unsure who is providing a solution, look for a name and a website. Check the origins of the equipment, the company, and its data and device security pledges.
What precautions does ChargeBox take to ensure the safest and most secure charging experience?
- Our charging solutions, including electronics and firmware, are designed and manufactured in the UK. We use our own software to control our solutions with the highest levels of security in mind.
- We are governed by national laws in the countries we operate, and our business depends on our end users having a great experience and our clients who host ChargeBox giving a great experience to their visitors.
- ChargeBox solutions are connected securely to our servers, giving us precise information about operational levels and recording the safety of the charge.
- The charging components and cable endings we use are all securely locked so they are not accessible to third-party agents without evidence of tampering.
Isn’t this all a storm in a teacup? Surely the FBI has got more significant cybersecurity concerns to deal with?
Yes! It distracts from device and data safety dangers for which the FBI has been notably absent – namely, the sophisticated malware attacks aided by systems such as Pegasus and others.
Finally, out of interest, what data does ChargeBox access?
Our users’ data privacy is a fundamental aspect of our business model and company ethics. For complete details of your data privacy with any interactions with our stations or our company please visit:
https://www.chargebox.com/your-data-privacy-with-chargebox/
Thanks for reading!
Should mobile phone charging be a free public service?
We all like something for free but what public services do we deserve to get for free and what should we pay for? If you are required to pay to use a toilet or to access WiFi in a public space, it can leave a bad feeling as the expectation is that these services should always be free. But what about public phone charging? Shouldn’t that be a free public service too?
When ChargeBox launched in 2005 the original idea was that people would happily pay less than the price of a cup of coffee to charge their phone. For the first few years, ChargeBox operated as a pay-to-use service. It wasn’t until a major mall operator approached us in 2011 asking for a free-to-use service for their shoppers, that everything changed.
When we launched our free-to-use service usage increased by over 2000% overnight. People love free phone charging!
Now over 95% of our charging locations are free to use.
But what’s right for your location?
Free to Use:
- Increases customer satisfaction and enhances the experience. Adds to your location’s positive brand identity.
- Facilitates charging at scale. More people using the service means that visitors dwell for longer and are likely to be happier and more satisfied by the ease of being able to stay connected.
- Greater ROI. 100 people using a free service will benefit you exponentially more (additional spending & goodwill) than the revenue 5 people will generate for you by paying for phone charging. (In our experience Pay to Use phone charge volume is ~ 5% of Free to Use phone charge volume.
- A service available to all without discrimination. Yes if people are really in need of a phone charge you could argue that they will pay for it. But what about the people who can’t afford it or have to prioritise what is most essential at that time?
- Less staff intervention is required. A paid service adds an additional layer of complexity to providing a service – more can go wrong.
Pay to Use:
- Limits anti-social behaviour. With payment required and an audit trail back to the user it discourages misuse e.g. kids congregating around a free service.
- Will generate a small direct revenue stream in certain locations, typically ones where people can’t or won’t leave easily e.g. hospitals, casinos and theme parks.
- When a location has zero budget it allows them to offer an essential service at little to no cost.
At ChargeBox we offer both Free to Use and Pay to Use services and ultimately the decision on what is best for your location is down to you. What links our free and pay-for services is that they are both the best charging experiences available.
- The fastest available phone charging. Three to four times faster charging than any alternative solutions.
- Simple and intuitive to use with minimal barriers to get charged up!
When you’re paying for a service these factors become even more critical.
Which service would you lean towards as a business owner? We’d love to hear your views.
Team Chargebox
Introducing the world’s first fast-charge public charging solutions (September 2017)
ChargeBox are pleased to announce that all of our family of products are now available to order with fast-charging support.
What does this mean? With the introduction of the USB 3.1 Power Delivery specification to our technology, our open solutions can deliver 25-30% charge in the space of 10-15 minutes, whilst our locker solutions can deliver 50-70% charge in around 30 minutes to those devices that support fast-charging. Apple's latest devices, including iPhone 8, iPhone X (as well as newer iPads) and many other Android devices are capable of receiving fast-charge based on agreed industry standards.
We believe the launch of fast-charging will significantly change the landscape for public charging solutions, and once again ChargeBox are at the forefront of public charging technology, giving our users and clients the very best charging experience.
To read the full press release, click here