One of the most frequent questions that we hear from EGG customers is if and when we will start offering a TV package. Most of our customers go to local shops and movie houses to watch TV (see photos below). A few have purchased or found old car batteries and inverters to power TVs at home, but this can be expensive, not to mention dangerous (old car batteries may leak, and they are often connected to TVs in a rudimentary and hazardous fashion). The demand for affordable, reliable TVs that do not require a grid connection is high, and it has become even higher as we approach the June 11th start of the first African World Cup.
Over the last week, the EGG team has begun testing a TV package with five current customers. The package consists of devices to power a TV (a battery and an inverter). The customers selected for the trial already own TVs but are either not using them or are powering them with a generator or hazardous car battery and inverter set-up. EGG is supplying the customers with newer, safer devices free of charge for two months, provided that they keep detailed logs of their usage patterns and how long their TVs last after each battery charge. The goal of the trial is to determine which devices are best-suited to power the TVs currently on the Tanzanian market and in people’s homes, and ultimately, what to include in our more permanent TV offering.
EGG’s trial TV package includes one of several sizes of 12-volt batteries. These batteries are larger and higher capacity than our current batteries, which are intended for small appliances such as lights and radios. As before, the customers in the trial will charge these batteries at our charging station in Chanika. The package also includes an inverter to convert the battery’s DC power to AC, since most of our customers have standard (20-inch, color) AC TVs. The exact battery and inverter combination that a customer receives depends on the number of watts consumed by his / her TV set.
At the end of the trial, we will decide if supplying devices to power TVs currently on the market is a viable business. Another option we are considering is importing TVs that consume less power, such as LCDs. These TVs would require cheaper, lower capacity batteries and inverters than the TVs currently on the market. Until these decisions are made, we hope that this trial will show current and prospective customers that we are serious about developing a TV package that suits their needs.
A movie house near EGG's charging station in Chanika
Kids watching TV inside the movie house
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