BT has launched a pilot to repurpose near end-of-life green street cabinets used to store broadband and phone cabling as EV charging stations.
BT’s digital incubator, Etc., plans to roll out technical trials to explore the potential to upgrade up to 60,000 cabinets. This would help meet the government’s target to increase the number of EV charging stations from the current 53,000 to 300,000 by 2030.
Etc. plans 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 power connection.
EV charging may 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.
More street cabinets containing broadband equipment will become available as the nationwide full-fibre rollout progresses
The initiative has been named an Innovation Honoree for 2024 for outstanding design and engineering at the Consumer Electronics Show.
