The UK’s leading telecoms provider, BT, has unveiled plans to repurpose street cabinets, traditionally housing cabling, into electric vehicle (EV) charging points. This initiative is part of a pilot project announced in August last year that could see a network of 60,000 new charging points across the UK.
The first of these transformed units is set to be installed in East Lothian, Scotland, marking the commencement of BT’s ambitious plan.
The company announced on Monday that it intends to conduct further trials across the UK in the coming months, demonstrating its commitment to addressing the growing demand for accessible EV charging infrastructure.
BT highlighted the findings of its research, indicating that a shortage of charging points on British roads has deterred potential EV buyers. According to BT, 38% of drivers expressed that they would already own an EV if charging accessibility were less of a concern.
As of December, there were 53,906 EV charging points in the UK, a figure sourced from Zapmap. The government aims to significantly increase this number to 300,000 by the 2030s as part of its broader strategy to support the transition to electric vehicles.
BT outlined its retrofitting approach, assuring that the conversion of cabinets into charging points would be seamlessly integrated with the existing broadband service, eliminating the need for additional power connections.
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BT plans net zero in its own operations by the end of March 2031, and supply chain by the end of March 2041. BT already purchases 100% renewable electricity.
This strategy allows for the deployment of EV charging in cabinets used for current copper broadband services or those nearing retirement, depending on available space and power capacity.
Last month, the UK Government pledged £4.8m ($6.08m) towards connecting EVs to homes and businesses in a bid to save UK citizens money on their energy bills.
Bidirectional charging points could allow the power stored in EV batteries to be directed towards homes and businesses to power other electronic devices.
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By GlobalDataIn GlobalData’s Thematic Intelligence report: Electric Vehicles, the research company predicts that EV production will have risen four-fold to over 15.5 million units by 2025, accounting for 15.1% of total market volume.
By 2028, global battery electric vehicle production should hit 24.1 million units, accounting for 22.5% of the total light vehicle market, according to the report.
