BT has abandoned a significant electric vehicle charging initiative after only one charging point was installed. The telecommunications giant had planned to repurpose old broadband street cabinets into EV charging stations, with around 60,000 cabinets identified for potential conversion in what company leaders called a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.
However, Etc, BT’s digital start-up division, has now ditched the pilot scheme after converting just a single cabinet. A spokesperson stated: “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.”
The sole chargepoint was installed in Scotland.
The company will now shift its focus to “the Wi-Fi connectivity challenge surrounding EV’s”. Stuart Masson from automotive website The Car Expert expressed disappointment at the decision but noted that the overall rollout of electric charging points is progressing faster than anticipated a few years ago.
He did, however, acknowledge that most charging points are located in busier areas rather than near residential streets, making BT’s decision a setback, reports Birmingham Live.
Mr Masson expressed his approval of the commitment to enhance wi-fi services at electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. “It’s very frustrating when you turn up to a charging point, you go to log into the app… and you can’t get a connection because you’re buried in a multi-storey car park somewhere and there’s no signal,” he explained.
“If BT can make a dent in that then that would be really good.”