3 USB power pack scams:

1. Zap&Go, graphene supercapacitor charger (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/zap-go-first-graphene-supercapacitor-charger#/) $114,645USD

Supercapacitors have lofty claims (super fast charging, lots of cycles, no special elements or hazardous chemicals needed), but like graphene and carbon nanotubes, nothing has come of them yet. This claims to charge 1500 mAh in 5 minutes. Well they clearly weren't ready for production since they haven't started yet, and they just sent this email:

Dear Indiegogo Backer,

At Zap&Go we are making good progress with our ultra-fast charge technology, but many of our customers are expressing concern about the time it is taking. “How do we know this is real?” says one. “Too many false shipment dates” says another. “I have resisted the refund request but now I’m not so sure” says a third.

So please let me clarify a few things:

1 – Our company is well-resourced, well-funded and in full possession of a technology of world-beating potential, exploiting graphene-based supercapacitors. We have produced a prototype phone charger accessory which charges up in less than 5 minutes.

2 – The full potential of our technology ranges from mobiles to cordless drills, vacuum cleaners, e-bikes and many other battery-powered appliances.

3 – We have received a string of awards and have recently returned from exhibiting at the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai. (www.mwcshanghai.com/pavilions)

4 – We are receiving enormous interest from partners and customers (far more than we can deal with at present) and also from the media. Click here to see a BBC programme featuring us.

To sum up, we are very much alive and kicking, as this photo gallery demonstrates.

BUT: our prototype charger is comparatively bulky, and does not yet hold enough energy (in milliamp/hours) to charge more than a modest proportion of a smartphone battery. It is not yet a product that we would be happy to release to customers. And won’t be for some time to come.

Meanwhile we have developed a prototype cordless drill powered by the same technology. With more space to play with, and simpler electronics, it is likely that a fast-charging cordless tool may be market-ready before the phone charger.

Finally, please be assured that your advance payment is safely tucked away. Any requests for a refund will be met promptly and willingly, as they have been already.

We will keep you regularly informed of further progress.

i.e., their huge charger probably can't even hold 50% of a phone battery's energy.

 

1. kraftwerk, fuel cell charger (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ezelleron/kraftwerk-highly-innovative-portable-power-plant) $1,529,561

Now we're in scam territory. Like the previous project, this promised a new technology (fuel cells) in batteries. Like the previous project, it's unlikely they had a working prototype that ran off fuel cells in the first place. And good points by a backer (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ezelleron/kraftwerk-highly-innovative-portable-power-plant/comments?cursor=13794465#comment-13794464): fuel cells need extremely pure fuel; they won't run off lighter butane or LPG. Also, another company had $150 MILLION, support from Intel and MIT, and still failed.

This project was off to a great start, getting sued by a German band with the same name as early as March 2015 (update 17), less than a month after getting funded. Next they spent a few updates waffling on about tiny details like a pump (update 34), another stall tactic often used by Dragonfly and Modbook. Now, the latest news is they've gone bankrupt in Germany (revealed in comments), but it's ok, they're moving to silicon valley! This ongoing scam is great to keep up with if you like shitty kickstarters.