BT WILL this month launch its first electric vehicle (EV) charging unit connected to a street cabinet, traditionally used for broadband and phone cabling storage, in a bid to resolve a dearth in chargepoints.

The telecoms giant said some 60,000 cabinets could be upgraded to help resolve the ongoing shortage of chargers on UK roads, should the pilot prove a success. The project is being run by BT Group's startup and digital incubation arm, Etc., with the first charger set to be installed in Scotland.

It comes amid mounting concern that a lack of EV chargepoints on British roads could hamper demand for greener vehicles ahead of looming net-zero targets.

The government set a goal of increasing the number of chargers from 53,000 to 300,000 by 2030.

But motoring organisation the RAC revealed it had missed a target of having at least six rapid or ultra-rapid charge points at every motorway service station by the end of 2023.

A survey from BT found 60 per cent of people think the UK's EV charging infrastructure is inadequate.

(c) 2024 City A.M., source Newspaper