BT is launching a programme to convert old street cabinets traditionally used for broadband and phone cables into electric vehicle charging points.
The first conversion under the pilot scheme will take place within weeks in East Lothian, Scotland, before being expanded to more locations.
The scheme is being run by the startup Etc, the digital incubation arm of the BT Group, and has been unveiled before the CES technology convention in Las Vegas.
Research from BT has shown that two-thirds of Britons (60%) think EV charging infrastructure is inadequate. It found that 78% of petrol and diesel drivers said not being able to conveniently charge an EV was a barrier to getting one.
The UK installed a record number of public electric car chargers in 2023 as the size of network of ultra-rapid chargers for longer journeys doubled.
Almost 16,000 public chargers were installed in the year to 12 December, pushing the total above 53,200, according to the data company ZapMap. That represented a 43% increase on 2022, significantly faster than the last three years.
Last year, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, delayed the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by five years, to 2035.
Sales of electric cars flatlined in 2023, with the share of total registrations at 16.5%, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, compared with 16.6% in 2022.
Tom Guy, the 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.
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“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.”
Engineers will retrofit the cabinets with a device that facilitates renewable energy to be shared to a charge point alongside the existing broadband service, with no need to create a new power connection.
