The scheme was first unveiled in January last year with BT Groups' startup and digital incubation arm Etc. announcing the first installation location in East Lothian, Scotland. Further pilots were scheduled to roll out across the UK.
Commenting on the cancellation, a BT Group spokesperson told EVC&I: “Our EV charging trials have focussed on how we might help address the charging needs EV drivers face across the UK. 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 EVs - our pilots will now shift in focus to explore this further. This is in line with BT Group’s core focus on connectivity.”
The cancellation of the scheme was first revealed by The Fast Charge newsletter, which said the East Lothian charger will be discontinued in February.
It had been planned for the charging solution to work by retrofitting the cabinets with a device that enabled renewable energy to be shared to a charge point alongside the existing broadband service with no need to create a new power connection. The EV charging could be deployed to cabinets that were in-use for current copper broadband services, or in those due for retirement, depending on the space and power available to the unit.
