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Almost exactly a year after launching a pilot scheme to convert street cabinets into EV charging stations, BT have scrapped the project
The cabinets, which are rapidly becoming obsolete as the UK’s full fibre network rollout increasingly brings the infrastructure directly to the end user’s home, were seen as an opportunity by BT, who announced a pilot project to turn them into EV charging stations.
The first unit was installed in East Lothian, Scotland, in February last year. The plan was for 600 additional test points will be installed throughout the UK, to be used commercially as normal by EV drivers. If these deployments proved successful, over 60,000 of BT’s 90,000 cabinet units would be repurposed.
In reality, however, it appears the scheme stopped after that initial installation.
No explicit reason for the project’s cancellation has been given, although cost is heavily suspected.
In its financial results for the half year ending on 30 September 2024, BT also confirmed that its workforce has been cut by 2,000, or 4% year-on-year, to 118,000. Reported profit before tax sits at £1 billion, down 10%. This was “primarily due to lower revenue, higher specific costs and higher net finance expenses,”
Additionally, Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ latest budget proved to be an additional hurdle for the operator. CEO Allison Kirkby said that the rise employers’ National Insurance contributions is set to cost the company BT an additional £100 million per year.
“Our EV charging trials have focussed on how we might help address the charging needs EV drivers face across the UK,” said a BT spokesperson.
“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.
“Other emerging needs we’ve identified include the Wi-Fi connectivity challenge surrounding EV’s – our pilots will now shift in focus to explore this further. This is in line with BT Group’s core focus on connectivity.”
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