【Pihit】

What could Pihitbe worse than heading out for the night, then realising your phone battery is down to a 10 percent charge?

A new crop of pay-as-you-use powerbank sharing companies have heeded the call of the dead battery in the wild.

Over 11 "power-sharing" companies in China have been funded in the past 40 days, according to Beijing News. Their offerings range from tabletop-based chargers, to powerbanks that you can take for a time, and return to a central station.

One of the companies, Xiaodian, raised about $50 million in series B funding just yesterday.

The company's app allows users to search for its power outlets available in 1,000 locations across Beijing, China's capital.

Users scan a QR code on WeChat, the country's largest messenger app, and can charge their phones for just 1 yuan ($0.14) per hour. The funds get deducted from the user's WeChat or Alipay digital wallets.

Another service called Ankerbox, by Shenzhen-based Anker, rents out portable chargers.

The company has launched a trial service in Seattle, charging $1.99 per day for a powerbank you can take with you.

View this post on Instagram

In an interview with Shanghai-based news outlet Interface, venture capitalist Chen Hongliang said that consumer habits have changed with the rise of the sharing economy.

"We use bike-sharing services because it provides for some convenience. People used to buy products, now they want a service," Chen said. His Vision+ Capital pumped 100 million yuan ($14 million) in Xiaodian's April series A funding round.

"People used to think that you had to buy a bicycle if you needed one; now their views have changed. Today, people think that they need to bring a portable charger out with them. That might change with power bank-sharing."