Thousands more EV charge points as BT transforms 60k dark-green empty street cabinets across UK
THOUSANDS of empty street cabinets will be turned into EV charging points, BT has revealed.
BT’s 60,000 new chargers will have the ability to power six cars at the same time once fully operational.
But each car will need to be plugged in for up to six hours to become fully charged.
Currently, there are 53,906 public chargers and it’s estimated only 20,000 of those are located on residential streets, according to the Times.
The telecom giant will install its first charging point in Haddington, East Lothian, by the end of the month.
This will be followed by a further 600 installations within the next 12 to 18 months.
Electric motorists will be delighted as it takes the pressure off drivers who are reliant on public chargers.
Many petrolheads say they’re put off purchasing electric vehicles because of the lack of street chargers.
Tom Guy, managing director of Etc, the start-up incubation arm of BT Group said: “It’s for all those customers who don’t have a driveway and are woefully undersupplied” when speaking ahead of a tech event in Las Vegas.
The government has set a goal of 300,000 public charges by 2030 to accommodate the 1million fully electric cars on the roads today.
The cabinets are a familiar sight on the UK’s pavement and have become pointless as the wiring is no longer needed to support households, according to BT.
The green cabinets contain copper wiring which is used for broadband and services – a lot of households now have full-fibre broadband directly to the house.
BT boxes will avoid the eight-month wait normally needed to make the electrical connection as they’re already on the grid, according to the telecom.
This gives it an advantage over its competitors as it faces fewer hurdles as it converts existing street furniture rather than starting from scratch.
The UK has a healthy supply of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers, but they remain scarce outside of London and the southeast, according to Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of Zapmap.
Zapmap helps electric drivers find their nearest charging points.
Melanie said: “We are moving from early adopters and pioneers towards the mass market, and they want simple solutions that mirror their experience with petrol or diesel cars.
“When we ask EV drivers who don’t have off-street parking, what they want is as close to off-street charging as they can get.
She added: “They would rather charge up close to home than in a local charging hub or a supermarket.”
It comes as EV drivers are set to face an extra cost of £500 in 2025 as the number of incentives designed to boost electric car ownership comes to an end.
And a popular EV supercar brand could potentially switch to a radical new technology which generates electricity using liquid fuels.