In the UK, the British Telecommunications Group has announced that it will repurpose street cabinets traditionally used to house cabling to an electric vehicle (EV) charging units. The plans could lead to a network of 60,000 new points (from 90,000 cabinets).
Tom Guy, Managing Director, Etc. (BT Group’s digital start-up company) says: “Our new charging solution is a huge step in bringing EV charging kerbside and exploring how we can address key barriers customers are currently facing. Working closely with local councils in Scotland and more widely across the UK, we are at a critical stage of our journey in tackling a very real customer problem that sits at the heart of our wider purpose to connect for good.”
According to The Guardian, engineers will retrofit the cabinets with a device that facilitates renewable energy to be shared to a charge point alongside the existing broadband service, with no need to create a new power connection.
Looking at the plans is Ashley Tate, MD, Allstar Chargepass UK.
Tate begins with an overview of the plans, noting: “BT Group recently announced it will repurpose street cabinets, traditionally used to store broadband and phone cabling, and convert them into electric vehicle (EV) charging points.”
Tate proceeds to connect the decision with the green agenda: “As a society, sustainability is rapidly moving up the agenda for the good of the planet and for the future of everyone involved. In this context, the news is a great example of harnessing existing materials and street furniture, while minimising the need of new hardware, all to advance the electric future for the UK.”
There is also an economic imperative. Here Tate observes: “With increasing consumer demand and the greater availability of EVs (there are now more than 975,000 fully electric cars on UK roads), the challenge lies in not only increasing the amount of charge points but also access to them.”
In relation to his own company’s aim sand objectives, Tate adds: “Our goal at Allstar is to grow our network beyond the current 14,000 charge point figure to 30,000 by the end of 2024, to further enable our customers to recharge simply, reducing any threat of range anxiety for vehicles on the road.”
Progress with the initiative is moving forwards, as Tate details: “We’ve already partnered with some of the leading charge point operators in the country, such as GRIDSERVE and InstaVolt, unique for their electric forecourts and EV hubs – these sights are a necessity for the electric future of the UK.”
Returning to the general topic of repurposing equipment, Tate opines: “Finding other ways to utilise existing street furniture on the UK’s roads will also help the nation hit sustainability targets, reassure EV drivers that they’re never far from a charge point and accelerate the movement.”
