BT Pilots EV Charger Repurposed From Street Cabinet 

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08 January 2024

A BT Group company is attempting to solve EV charging infrastructure needs by repurposing existing street furniture.

A pilot from Etc., part of BT Group, will see street cabinets traditionally used to store broadband and phone cabling retrofitted to become functioning electric vehicle charging units.

A device will be installed inside the cabinet which will allow renewable energy to be shared to a charge point alongside the existing broadband service with no need to create a new power connection. This means that EV charging can be deployed to cabinets that are in-use for current broadband services, or in those due for retirement. It is hoped that once full fibre internet progresses, cabinets that are no longer needed for broadband will be repurposed in this way.

The trials will explore the potential to upgrade up to 60,000 cabinets to help meet government sustainability targets to increase the number of charge points from 53,000 today to 300,000 by 2035.

According to data from Zapmap, almost 315,000 battery-electric cars were registered in 2023, a growth of 18 per cent on the number registered in 2022.

First Location Announced for Street Cabinet EV Charger

Etc. has announced its first installation location in East Lothian, Scotland, with further pilots to roll out across the UK in the coming months.  

Tom Guy, CEO, Etc. at BT Group 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.”  

“This is a key step in our mission to build products and services right now that work for the future, with positive transformation at the heart.” 

Picture: a photograph showing a car bing charged by an on-street charging unit. A street cabinet can be seen in the background. Image Credit: BT Group

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 08 January 2024

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