Electric Logistics creates the U-Adapt battery converter

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By Sydney Borek.

C and D batteries are heavy, inconvenient, and expensive compared to AAA and AA batteries.

It is a hassle for hikers to carry extra packs of the heavy batteries just for flashlights while most equipment uses smaller sized batteries.

Electric toys for children also often require these larger batteries, causing a need for parents to have these batteries on hand at all times to keep kids happy.

What if every flashlight, toy and other battery-powered device could just take AAA or AA batteries? Then hikers, parents and others would no longer have to keep a stock of the sparsely-used C and D batteries.

Electric Logistics has created a battery adapter that takes the smaller, more common AAA and AA batteries and adapts them into C and D batteries.

The Electric Logistic team consists of five OSU students: Nathan Tamashiro, Alan Li, York Lai, Alex Nguyen, and Yvette Chau. Tamashiro, Nguyen, Chau, and Li are in the College of Business. Tamashiro and Nguyen are studying Business Management, while Chau and Li are studying Marketing. Lai is a Computer Science major within the College of Engineering.

“The big problem [for the consumer] is the inconvenience of having to go to the store [to buy C or D batteries],” Tamashiro said.

To test prototypes, Electric Logistics uses 3D-printing. Since he and the other business majors are not ‘science-y’, as Tamashiro put it, Lai is the one who creates and tests the prototypes.

Tamashiro stated one of the biggest challenges surrounding their student-run company is adjusting to the lack of instructions for the business world. “I think everyone is going to face this challenge when they leave school to work in the real world,” Tamashiro said. “As entrepreneurs, that reality hits you harder than anyone else, because there is really truly no guide or rubric telling you exactly what you need to do.”

Electric Logistics is currently enrolled in the Launch program with the OSU Advantage Accelerator to receive guidance. The company will be sharing their story at the upcoming OSU Advantage Innovation Showcase, on May 8.

The current device from Electrical Logistics, called U-adapt, an AAA to D adapter, and other adapters will be brought to the market soon. Electric Logistics also has a plan to create adapters that work with rechargeable batteries.

Preorder a U-adapt (AAA-D) here: http://www.electriclogisticsllc.com/

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