Image: BT Group
BT has announced plans to convert its old green street cabinets into electric vehicle (EV) charging points, in a bid to tackle ‘the current national shortfall’.
The metal cabinets are traditionally used to store broadband and phone cabling. However, as technology advances, many will soon become defunct.
Under the pilot scheme, which is being led by ‘Etc.’ – the startup and digital incubation arm at BT Group – the first converted cabinet will be installed in East Lothian, Scotland in the coming weeks.
In total, it is hoped that 60,000 could be converted.
Tom Guy, managing director of Etc., said: “Our new charging solution is a huge step in bringing EV charging to the 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.”
The Government’s ambition is to increase the number of charging points from around 50,000 today to 300,000 by 2030.
This pilot project will explore how this solution could be scaled to support this vision.
Both cabinets that are still providing broadband to individual households and those that have been decommissioned are able to be used to support the new EV charging points.
Engineers will be able to retrofit the cabinets with a device that enables renewable energy to be shared to a charge point alongside the existing broadband service with no need to create a new connection, because they are already connected to a power source.
The green lockers that are set to be decommissioned will have one charge point per cabinet, which provides two charging sockets.
They will also have a battery backup so existing broadband services should not be disrupted during installation.
An ingenious idea. The key questions are-
Where the cabinets are positioned who owns the surrounding land
what planning permissions and processes are required?
Will a blanket consent or presumption of consent be applied? If so, what agencies will be able to influence decisions – Highway Authority, Local Planning Authority, Statutory Consultees, local residents?
Some of these boxes are already noisy from cooling fans, especially at night, without additional equipment and car doors etc.
I love the idea but the implementation process needs careful thought.
Honor Byford, Wensleydale
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