AutoElectric VehiclesBT has an EV solution that could solve UK infrastructure issues for goodTrial to convert existing cabinets could help electric vehicle expansionWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
AutoElectric VehiclesBT has an EV solution that could solve UK infrastructure issues for goodTrial to convert existing cabinets could help electric vehicle expansionWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Trial to convert existing cabinets could help electric vehicle expansion
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: BT)
(Image credit: BT)
It’s always nice when someone comes forward with an idea for new public infrastructure that doesn’t require whole heaps of new construction.
BT’s doing just that with its latest drive, an idea that has come out of its internal startup incubator. The new scheme will test whether it’s efficient to convert the many green street cabinets that sit on residential roads in the UK to also houseelectric vehiclecharging stations.
These cabinets typically house broadband and phone cabling, but in many cases are in sore need of updates anyway, to improve their ageing efficiency and energy use, so this could be a big win-win.
So, this marks the start of a presumably quite lengthy trial period, during which BT will slowly test new locations to see how cost-effective the cabinet conversion is, and what factors affect both how much it’s used and how much it costs to create the new charging point.
The first converted cabinet is in East Lothian in Scotland, but more will follow as the year goes on, according to BT.
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The idea isn’t to have cabling running directly to and from the street cabinets, though. Instead, additions are made to the cabinet to effectively share the power allocated to its broadband connections, allowing an EV charging point to be set up outside on the curb.
As the country uses fewer of these street cabinets forbroadband connectivity(because of the different ways that fibre broadband connects to homes), more power will be freed up and more space in the cabinets for the tech to allow for further EV charging points.
So, this looks like a pretty fantastic concept that could be a great way of avoiding the need to bin a whole bunch of older infrastructure, while paving the way for a cleaner future - time will tell whether it’s able to actually spread at a massive scale, though.
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