BT finally gets its EV charger trial underway

Divers in East Lothian are the lucky guinea pigs for this initiative, which will see the street cabinets previously used as local copper and fibre hubs converted into public EV charge-points while still retaining the legacy communications functionality. This is being billed as a ‘technical pilot’ being run by BT subsidiary Etc and the leccy will be offered for free for a month, to encourage people to give it a go.

“With our research showing that 78% of petrol and diesel drivers see not being able to conveniently charge an EV as a key a barrier to purchasing one, and the UK behind government-set sustainability targets, it’s critical that we start looking at existing infrastructure to drive innovation at speed,” said  Tom Guy, Managing Director, MD of Etc.

“These trials present a unique opportunity to tap into existing assets to drive the important transition to electrification in the UK, and we’re proud to be working with local councils in East Lothian and more widely across the UK at this critical stage to play our part.”

“We are pleased that BT Group is supplementing the wide range of public chargers in East Lothian as this allows the Council to focus on its public service role of providing charging options in areas less attractive to commercial operators,” said Norman Hampshire, East Lothian Council Leader. “Use of electric vehicles supports the council’s ambitions to reduce emissions, promote sustainable travel solutions and enhance the local environment.”

The fact that there are enormous profits on offer to the owners of public EV chargers is, of course, secondary to the considerable green virtue represented by each and every one. Having said that, data does seem to confirm that the lifetime carbon footprint of the average EV is significantly lower than internal combustion engine ones. The extraction and disposal of the rare-earth metals needed for the batteries are another matter, though, as is the relative total cost of ownership.

“This government is committed to supporting people to make the switch from petrol and diesel vehicles, and our vision for Scotland’s future public EV charging network highlights the need for private sector finance and delivery to build on our significant investment in the network to date,” said Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport at Scottish Government. “I’m really looking forward to seeing more partnership working like this as we continue to help people in Scotland to make greener transport choices.”

The less said about the Scottish government the better right now, but it seems safe to assume any private sector initiative that claims to be even a shade of green can expect fulsome public support. BT chose not to explain why this trial has taken months longer than previously expected in its announcement but didn’t make the mistake of attaching a timeline to the expansion of this trial. It is generally accepted that the UK doesn’t have nearly enough public EV charge points, so BT has every incentive to get a move on.