BT Group aims to repurpose up to 60,000 street cabinets that previously housed telecoms cabling as EV charging points and it has begun technical trials at a site in East Lothian. The two-year trial was first announced in July 2023.
The project is being run by Etc., the startup and digital incubation arm at BT Group, which announced its first installation location in East Lothian, Scotland, with further pilots to roll out across the UK in the coming months.
Through the trials, Etc. will scope a range of different technical, commercial and operational considerations with bringing this EV charge point network online, including:
• Technical – cabinet location, power availability, customer accessibility, digital customer experience and engineering considerations
• Civil planning – location, local council engagement, permissions and physical accessibility
• Commercial – public funding options, private investment, partnership, and wider financial modelling to establish a route to commercial benefit for the Group
• Operational – as a dedicated BT Group venture or in partnership with others.
Etc said that the charging solution works by retrofitting the cabinets with a device that enables renewable energy to be shared to a charge point alongside the existing broadband service with no need to create a new power connection. EV charging can be deployed to cabinets that are in-use for current broadband services, or in those due for retirement, depending on the space and power available to the unit. Once the cabinet is no longer needed for broadband, as nationwide full fibre rollout progresses, the broadband equipment is recycled, and additional EV charge points can be added. This allows re-use of existing infrastructure while deploying more charge points at pace. Up to 60,000 of BT’s 90,000 cabinets may be suitable.

Tom Guy, CEO, Etc. at BT Group said, “Our new charging solution is a huge step in bringing EV charging kerbside and exploring how we can address key barriers customers are currently facing. Working closely with local councils in Scotland and more widely across the UK, we are at a critical stage of our journey in tackling a very real customer problem that sits at the heart of our wider purpose to connect for good.”