Mapping issues in 7 of 8 power bank rental platforms tested by Hong Kong watchdog

Seven out of eight power bank rental platforms tested by Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog displayed inaccurate navigation or positioning data on map applications, a problem that may waste users’ time and incur extra charges due to delays.\nThe Consumer Council on Thursday also found a significant variance in rental fees across different stations within the same platforms, with charges for a 30-minute rental differing by nearly 1.3 times and the daily cap on charges differing by more than 2.3 times.\n“When in urgent need of a power bank, consumers’ phone battery is often critically low. Inaccurate navigation not only wastes time, but may also deplete the phone’s battery, preventing the user from logging in to use the service,” said the watchdog’s chief executive Alaina Shum Jiu-fai.\n“Incorrect station data during return could lead to fruitless trips and extra charges due to delays.”\nShum said that as smartphones were an important part of daily life, running out of battery while out and about had become a common problem for city residents, with shared power bank rental platforms offering a “flexible solution” to the issue.\nStaff from the Consumer Council conducted 48 rent and return trials across the eight platforms in Hong Kong between November and December in 2025, with the tests covering different days, time slots and districts.\n“Although all eight platforms had positioning and third-party map navigation functions, seven of them experienced issues such as reversed navigation routes, target stations deviating from actual locations, or inaccurate starting points,” Shum said.\n“Four platforms operating via mini-programmes had more stable performance when using certain map systems, but were less accurate with two other third-party systems.”\nFor four other platforms which operated mainly on their own apps, Shum said they worked better on third-party map systems.\nAmong the tests, one of the worst-performing platforms was HiCharge, which successfully guided the tester to their destination four out of six times when using the Amap application, but failed all six navigation tests using Google Maps and Apple Maps. The platform operated through a mini-programme on WeChat.\nAmap is operated by Alibaba Group Holding, which also owns the South China Morning Post.\nThe council also found inaccuracies in power bank station information in three of their tests on HiCharge, including incorrect coordinates and incomplete addresses.\nOne of the best-performing platforms was CHARGESPOT, which mainly operates within its own mobile application. It successfully guided testers to their power bank stations all six times using Google Maps and Apple Maps, with accurate location information.\nResponding to the council, HiCharge said it would strengthen its coordination and frequency of updates. It said inaccuracies in information were partly due to difficulties in controlling the operating hours of its partner stores.\nThe platform explained that the deviation in their navigation was due to technical limitations, as well as differences caused by the conversion of map latitude and longitude. It said that it had provided addresses to help users find the location of their stations.\nShum noted that operators could improve in three areas: strengthening their coordination with third-party maps, providing clearer supplementary guidance information in complex environments, and regularly verifying and updating their station information.\n