BT explores turning defunct telecom cabinets into EV chargers

UK telecom company BT is launching a two-year pilot programme to repurpose redundant street cabinets as electric vehicle (EV) charging units.

Etc., BT’s start-up incubation team within the Digital Unit, will run the pilots. Etc. projects that over time, up to 60,000 of BT Group’s 90,000 cabinets may be suitable for upgrades to EV charging points and the trials will focus on both technical and commercial aspects.

The cabinets are currently used for providing copper-based broadband and phone services and will be decommissioned as the nationwide upgrade to full fibre progresses.

“While at an early stage, if successful this could make an important contribution to decarbonising the transport system and supporting the UK’s plans to get to net zero,” a statement from BT said.

Phase one

The first phase of the pilot, open to Openreach and BT Group employees, is planned to kick off in Northern Ireland in autumn this year and will be expanded to the public with more pilot locations added across the UK later in the year.

Areas to be explored include cabinet location, power availability, customer accessibility, digital customer experience and engineering considerations, as well as engagement with local councils.

Etc. will look at public funding options, private investment, partnership, and wider financial modelling and gather evidence on whether the initiative would run as a dedicated BT Group venture or in partnership with others.

Business opportunity

The UK government has set a target to increase the number of UK EV charge points from around 45,000 today to 300,000 by 2030, committing £1.6 billion to the effort. BT highlighted the business opportunity of public EV charging, saying that the sector could be worth multiple billions of pounds by the early 2030s.

“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,” said 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.”

BT said that neither the trials nor any potential scaling of the new EV charge network would present any change or disruption to the telecommunications services supported from the cabinets. Decisions on any further scaling of the programme will depend on the success of the pilots.