Electric car project scrapped after installing just one charger despite massive 60,000 target
WATCH: The Department For Transport announce measures to make it cheaper to install public EV chargers
DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT
A major electric vehicle charging scheme, launched by one of the biggest technology companies in the UK, has been scrapped with just one charger installed.
Etc., the startup and digital arm of the BT Group, announced last January that it would be transforming old green street cabinets into electric car charging units to help boost the uptake of zero emission vehicles.
It had plans to extend the usefulness of near-end-of-life green boxes on streets, with hopes that up to 60,000 street cabinets could be used.
However, after one year, BT has announced that it has ended the pilot scheme after installing just one charger in East Lothian.
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BT Group had huge plans to install more EV chargers around the UK with the help of older street cabinets
BT
According to a notice sent to users of the Evve Charge app, the Scottish EV charger will be decommissioned on February 14.
According to the Fast Charge newsletter, BT is ending the pilot scheme to pivot towards improving Wi-Fi connectivity for EV drivers around the country.
A spokesperson for BT Group said: "By adopting a pilot process, we have been able to test and explore a great deal about the challenges that many on-street EV drivers are facing with charging and where BT Group can add most value to the UK EV ecosystem," Autocar reported.
Throughout the month of May last year, BT allowed local residents to use the converted street cabinet charger in East Lothian for free.
The BT charging trial was launched in East Lothian, Scotland last year
BT
There were plans for the pilot to expand to focus on West Yorkshire with original ambitions to scale up to 600 trial sites across the UK.
Etc. estimated that up to 4,800 street cabinets could potentially be used to meet the increasing demand for EV chargers through upgrade works.
It also suggested that, over time, as many as 60,000 of BT Group's 90,000 cabinets could be suitable candidates for upgrades to EV charging stations.
In July 2023, Tom Guy, managing director of Etc. at BT Group, said they had a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to boost the number of EV chargers around the UK, especially as more drivers make the switch.
He added: "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 Group also clarified that it purchases 100 per cent renewable electricity and will continue to do so through the EV charging pilots.
According to the latest data from Zapmap, there are 73,699 charging devices around the country, with 1,105 installed in the last month alone.
The Government and electric vehicle charge point operators are still optimistic that the UK will have 300,000 chargers installed by the end of the decade.
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It is understood that BT will provide solutions to help EV drivers with Wi-Fi connectivity
BT
The number of public chargers has grown from just under 21,000 at the end of 2020 to more than 73,000 by the end of 2024.
Zapmap also estimates that there are around 850,000 charge points installed at home or work where the majority of charging still takes place.
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