BT has announced plans that could see it repurpose its street cabinets across the UK to enable provision of EV charging.
The project has been handed to BT’s start-up and digital incubation team Etc., which will assess which street cabinets could provide the necessary infrastructure to enable the installation of EV charging units. Currently the expectation is that as many as 60,000 of BT’s 90,000 cabinets may be suitable for upgrades to EV charging points.
It’s not the first time we’ve heard of a telecoms giant looking to leverage their estate of street cabinets to enable EV chargepoint installation. In fact, Virgin Media announced that it would begin using some of its cabinets for EV chargepoints back in 2019 – that network, which is now known as Believ, currently boasts 303 chargers across the UK with an ambitious growth strategy planned.
Now, Virgin Media will have competition, as BT is eager to use its large estate. While the company is currently only in the pilot stage, it sees an opportunity to use cabinets that are currently used for copper-based broadband and phone services to provide the necessary infrastructure to install EV charging equipment. This is especially prudent as BT is set to decommission these cabinets as it continues its nationwide upgrade programme to full fibre.
The first phase of the EV charging pilots, open to Openreach and BT Group colleagues, is planned to kick off in Northern Ireland in the Autumn of 2023, and will be expanded to the public with more pilot locations added across the UK later in the year.
The team from Etc. will scope a range of different technical, commercial and operational considerations with bringing this EV charge point network online, including:
- Technical – including cabinet location, power availability, customer accessibility, digital customer experience and engineering considerations
- Civil planning – including location, local council engagement and physical accessibility
- Commercial – including public funding options, private investment, partnership, and wider financial modelling
- Operational – as a dedicated BT Group venture or in partnership with others
“With the ban on sales of internal combustion engine vehicles coming in 2030, and with only around 45,000 public charge points today, the UK needs a massive upgrade to meet the needs of the EV revolution,” noted Tom Guy, Managing Director, Etc. at BT Group.
“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to connect for good in a whole new way by innovating around our cabinet infrastructure. The pilots are critical for the team to work through the assessment and establish effective technical, commercial and operational routes to market over the next two years.”
Ben Nelmes, CEO, New Automotive, added, “The need for more EV charging represents an exciting business opportunity, so it is great to see BT Group announcing plans that could play a key role in growing the number of charge points and helping enable more people to make the switch to an electric car.”
Helen Clarkson, CEO at Climate Group, concluded, “We’re seeing more and more ambitious commitments from corporations to grow their EV fleets in the coming years. Programmes like BT Group’s are an incentive for other businesses and drivers to go electric. But we need the UK government to play its part – wider availability of charge points right across the country, not just in London, will help build confidence that switching to an EV is the right option.”
BT Group already purchases 100% renewable electricity and plans to continue this through the EV charging pilots.