Urbanista Unveils Second Generation Headphones and TWS Earbuds with Powerfoyle Solar Cell Technology

Urbanista, the Swedish lifestyle audio brand, announced the new and advanced Urbanista Los Angeles headphones and Urbanista Phoenix true wireless earbuds, the next generation of its innovative light powered audio products with integrated Powerfoyle solar cell material from Exeger. The two all-new updated self-charging models will be the highlight for Urbanista at CES 2024.

Urbanista, the Swedish lifestyle audio brand, announced the latest addition to its line-up of light-powered audio products, leveraging Exeger's unique solar cell technology. The new Urbanista Malibu is the world's first self-charging wireless speaker with an integrated Powerfoyle membrane, paving the way to a new generation of activity oriented consumer electronics. The Urbanista Malibu is a waterproof design that self charges whenever exposed to indoor or outdoor light.

Adding a Powerfoyle solar cell membrane to any low-power electronics is a great way to implement energy harvesting capabilities. An add-on Powerfoyle shield for the Nordic Semiconductor’s Thingy:91 enables developers to produce always-on designs in a fast and easy way. With this plug-and-play light energy harvesting innovation, Exeger has significantly expanded the possibilities of the prototyping platform and associated development boards for connected products.

Exeger has partnered once again with lifestyle audio brand Urbanista to launch true wireless earbuds powered by its Powerfoyle solar cell material technology, allowing endless playtime. The launch marks the next phase in the two companies’ partnership which was first announced following the launch of Urbanista Los Angeles, the world’s first self-charging over-ear headphones in 2021. The new Urbanista Phoenix TWS earbuds come with a self-charging case when exposed to any form of light.

Swedish company Exeger - the company behind the Powerfoyle solar cell material already powering self-charging consumer electronic devices - venture capital firm Forward.One, and music producer and DJ Martin Garrix, have led the latest funding round of investment in the innovative Dutch audio-tech start-up, Mayht. The Series A follow-on round takes investment in the firm to nearly USD $10 million so far.

Through a new strategic approach, JBL is promoting a new sustainable, solar-powered headphone model, the JBL REFLECT Eternal. A first for the brand, JBL is using Indiegogo to crowdsource interest for a solar-powered headphone with unlimited playtime. This concept marries a light converting material from Swedish brand Exeger into an on-ear JBL form-factor for everyday use. By collaborating directly with potential users, JBL hopes to gain insights and feedback on self-charging, eco-friendly technology to ensure it meets their needs.