LAMPPOST CHARGING
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A major issue for many EV drivers is actually being able to plug in their vehicle in a convenient location to their work or home. But one street-level solution is gathering pace, says Tom Pakenham
For those running fleets, the transition to electric vehicles presents a number of challenges. How, when and where to charge is one of the biggest. The answer is very likely to be a combination of charging methods – rapid, destination and standard; and at the depot, at home and on the road. In each case, the right charging choice will depend on the nature of the fleet’s work, the type of vehicle and where the vehicle is kept when it’s not being used for work purposes.
It’s no secret that hundreds of thousands of public on-street charge points will need to be installed to service the 8m+ UK drivers without access to off-street parking. These drivers are currently unable to charge at home and many of them will be driving fleet vehicles.
A 2022 study by the Association of Fleet Professionals found that 65-70% of fleet drivers would not be able to charge their vehicle at home due to lack of off-street parking or other similar constraints; and would, therefore, require kerbside charging facilities.
When installing the charge points to meet this need, there is a choice between building brand-new infrastructure in the form of standalone charging pillars, or retrofitting existing street furniture, namely lampposts. Charge point operators such as ChargeLight, SureCharge and Char.gy are already delivering lampposts to provide solutions for UK fleet drivers to charge their vehicles with renewable energy – conveniently when parked near their homes and more cheaply than through other charging methods.
Introduction to lamppost charging
There are more than six million lampposts in the UK. While many are on motorways, A-roads and in busy city centres, millions can be found on residential streets up and down the country. And, although a lamppost’s primary purpose is – and will always be – to shed light, in recent years local authorities have started to do much more with them. For example you’ll now see advertising banners hanging from them and lampposts that provide super-fast local WiFi.
Using them for charging electric cars is now a well-established, mature technology. For example, thousands of the UK’s lampposts have the ability to host EV chargers. That’s because they are on residential streets, located on the kerb-side of the pavement, with ample power to charge an electric car while continuing to provide light.
For the love of lampposts
Lamppost chargers arguably provide a better solution to on-street charging than the alternative: AC pillar chargers (i.e., standalone charge point and ancillary equipment to create charging infrastructure where there was nothing before). This is for a number of reasons.
For starters, using existing infrastructure is much more environmentally friendly than building new.
A study by lamppost charge point operator ChargeLight showed the embodied carbon in a lamppost to be up to eight times less than in alternative charging technologies. This is because they use less resources, especially steel.
However, there are numerous other benefits to installing lamppost chargers over pillar and rapid chargers:
Convenience: As streetlights are to be found on almost every urban street, drivers can plug in their cars metres from their front doors. In addition, batteries will be full at the start of the day, meaning less downtime for re-charging during working hours. This is a crucial consideration for fleet managers and operation teams who need to ensure as little work time as possible is lost to charging. Using rapid chargers for an hour or more during every shift can be a big time loss.
Cost: Because lamppost chargers are cheaper to install than alternatives, many more of them can be installed for the same investment. In theory, that should mean there is no excuse for a street to not have an electric car charger. On top of this, the low cost of a lamppost charger means that there is less capital investment to recover, in turn allowing operators to charge less for EV drivers to charge. A further potential cost saving for fleets.
In addition, as smart tariffs are introduced, overnight charging will take advantage of lower electricity prices in off-peak periods.
Short installation time: It takes 30 minutes to install a lamppost charger. Simply remove the existing door, replace it with the new hardware, add a new RCD and wire it in.
Clutter-free zone: ChargeLights sit neatly in the lamppost door, which means no impact on pavement space or existing infrastructure.
For the love of lampposts
Lamppost chargers arguably provide a better solution to on-street charging than the alternative: AC pillar chargers (i.e., standalone charge point and ancillary equipment to create charging infrastructure where there was nothing before). This is for a number of reasons.
For starters, using existing infrastructure is much more environmentally friendly than building new.
A study by lamppost charge point operator ChargeLight showed the embodied carbon in a lamppost to be up to eight times less than in alternative charging technologies. This is because they use less resources, especially steel.
However, there are numerous other benefits to installing lamppost chargers over pillar and rapid chargers:
Convenience: As streetlights are to be found on almost every urban street, drivers can plug in their cars metres from their front doors. In addition, batteries will be full at the start of the day, meaning less downtime for re-charging during working hours. This is a crucial consideration for fleet managers and operation teams who need to ensure as little work time as possible is lost to charging. Using rapid chargers for an hour or more during every shift can be a big time loss.
Cost: Because lamppost chargers are cheaper to install than alternatives, many more of them can be installed for the same investment. In theory, that should mean there is no excuse for a street to not have an electric car charger. On top of this, the low cost of a lamppost charger means that there is less capital investment to recover, in turn allowing operators to charge less for EV drivers to charge. A further potential cost saving for fleets.
In addition, as smart tariffs are introduced, overnight charging will take advantage of lower electricity prices in off-peak periods.
Short installation time: It takes 30 minutes to install a lamppost charger. Simply remove the existing door, replace it with the new hardware, add a new RCD and wire it in.
Clutter-free zone: ChargeLights sit neatly in the lamppost door, which means no impact on pavement space or existing infrastructure.
“Although a lamppost’s primary purpose is – and will always be – to shed light, in recent years local authorities have started to do much more with them”
Lamppost charging in the UK: where are we?
The first lamppost charger was installed in the UK in Hounslow in late 2016. The company that installed it was Ubitricity (recently acquired by Shell). Since then, other businesses have entered the space and now there are a number of suppliers and operators that local authorities – owners of the streetlights – can work with. These suppliers include ChargeLight, SureCharge, Char.gy and City EV.
Between them, these companies have installed and now operate almost 10,000 lamppost chargers across the length and breadth of the UK, providing the majority of public charging resource in urban areas. The technology is mature, proven and now being rolled out at scale. If your street doesn’t have lamppost charging yet, it’s highly likely that it will do in the near future…
