Tech start-up creates EV chargers from repurposed street cabinets
British tech start-up Etc. makes going green even greener with its latest innovation – electric vehicle (EV) charging stations made by repurposing the thousands of ugly green power cabinets already located on streets throughout the UK.
Etc., the digital incubation arm at telecommunications giant BT Group, launched its new EV charging Pilot program on January 8th to test out its first of many retrofitted EV charging units.
The telecommunications company's ultimate goal is to create thousands more public charging stations by retrofitting 'end-of-life' green electrical street boxes previously installed in neighborhoods throughout the UK.
According to BT Group, there are up to 60,000 street cabinets that can be repurposed in this way, helping to tackle the current national shortfall in EV charging infrastructure.
“Our new charging solution is a huge step in bringing EV charging curbside and exploring how we can address key barriers customers are currently facing,” said Tom Guy, CEO of Etc. at BT Group.
Currently, the green power boxes are being used to provide copper-based broadband and phone services, but as the transition to fiber optic broadband continues to roll out across the nation, those same cabinets are slowly being decommissioned.
The cabinets will then be retrofitted with a device that enables renewable energy to be shared to another charge point placed alongside the existing broadband service, with no need to create a new power connection, the company said.
The two-year trial program will not only explore the potential to upgrade the cabinets, but will help meet the government’s sustainability targets and decarbonize the transport system in the UK.
“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,” Guy said.
Almost two-thirds of the UK population think that “EV charging infrastructure is inadequate,” BT Group research shows, and nearly 80% of petrol and diesel drivers say “not being able to conveniently charge an EV is a barrier to getting one.”
The London-based telecom plans to install its first-ever retrofitted EB charging station in East Lothian, Scotland, over the coming weeks and then roll out more across the UK this spring.
“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,” Guy said.
A 2022 HM government report on EV infrastructure stated it expects to have roughly 300,000 working public chargers installed across the UK by the year 2030.
Currently there are only about 53,000 public EV charging station in the UK.
By comparison, the US currently has over 160,000 public EV chargers operating across the states, serving 2.4 million electric vehicles. By 2030, the US government estimates it will need 700,000 units installed coast to coast to satisfy EV charging demands.