Thousands of green street cabinets could be repurposed as electric vehicle (EV) charge points, if a BT-led trial proves successful.
The pilot – being led by BT Group subsidiary Etc. – will see the first street cabinets traditionally used to store broadband and phone cabling converted into an EV charging unit.
Etc. estimates that as many as 60,000 street cabinets nearing end-of-life could be used in this way, tackling the current national shortfall in EV charging infrastructure.
The first cabinets to be converted will be in East Lothian, Scotland with Etc. in negotiations with local councils across the country to rollout the scheme wider.
Tom Guy, managing director of Etc., said: “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.”
The government aims to increase the number of charge points from 53,000 today to 300,000 by 2035.
However, BT Group’s research found that 60% of people think the UK’s EV charging infrastructure is inadequate, with 78% of petrol and diesel drivers saying not being able to conveniently charge an EV is a barrier to getting one.
The same survey found that more than a third of those drivers would switch to an EV if charging was less of an issue.
The charging solution works by retrofitting 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 power connection.
EV charging can be deployed to cabinets that are in-use for current copper broadband services, or in those due for retirement, depending on the space and power available to the unit.
Once the cabinet is no longer needed for broadband, as nationwide full fibre rollout progresses, the broadband equipment is recycled, and additional EV charge points can be added.
A record number of electric vehicles (EVs) were sold in 2023, figures released by SMMT last week reveal.
In total, 315,000 new EVs were sold last year, some 50,000 more than in 2022.
The number of EVs sold last year is also more than the combined number of sales made in 2020 and 2021.
Despite the annual increase, growth across the wider automotive market meant EV total market share dipped slightly from 16.6% in 2022 to 16.5% in 2023.