Antique Lamp Posts to Charge Electric Cars

Thursday 19 September 2024

Exciting news for electric vehicle owners in the UK as UK Power Networks has given the go-ahead to use lamp posts to power up their vehicles. This groundbreaking decision follows a series of studies conducted by the distribution network operator, confirming that 5kW charge points can be safely installed on older lamp posts with thinner cabling.

Previously, some local authorities on the South Coast of England were instructed to halt the installation of lamp post chargers on older legacy columns due to differing wiring concerns. However, the revised guidance now paves the way for easier accessibility to electric vehicle charging for up to 60 per cent of people residing in towns and cities without off-street parking.

With this new development, 133 local authorities under the UK Power Networks area will be able to swiftly connect faster 5kW charge points to lamp posts. This aligns with their plans to boost the number of chargers through the government’s Local EV Infrastructure Fund, allowing more electric vehicle owners to conveniently charge their vehicles.

According to charge point operator Shell ubitricity, local authorities could potentially roll out 700-800 lamp post chargers with a budget of £1 million. This is a stark comparison to the fewer numbers of Fast Dual charge points (7-22kW) or Rapid Single charge points that could be installed with the same amount of funding.

Mark Adolphus, the director of Connections at UK Power Networks, expressed his enthusiasm about the recent development, stating, ‘This is great news for customers and lights the way for a vast swathe of new electric vehicle charging stations across the region we serve. It underlines the importance of networks collaborating with the wider energy industry to ensure they can deliver with confidence and certainty.’

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