BT scraps proposed nationwide 60,000 electric vehicle charging point scheme – after only installing one in East Lothian 

ENERGY company BT has scrapped its scheme to install electric vehicle (EV) charging points in street cabinets across the UK. 

Only one EV charging point was installed in East Lothian in May last year, with no further points having been installed since. 

They initially proposed to install 60,000 charging points across the UK but now, the company has decided instead to focus on the Wi-Fi connectivity issues that many charging points suffer from. 

Last year, East Lothian residents were able to use the first and only EV charging point installed under the scheme, located on Monkmains Road, at no cost for a month. 

The pilot was set to move its focus to West Yorkshire, and to then expand to a further 600 trial sites across the UK. 

The scheme unfortunately fell flat, with the converted street cabinet in East Lothian closing in February. 

The green cabinets on streets across the UK are beginning to become obsolete, with the increase in fibre optic broadband. 

They traditionally house cables for broadband and telephone signals. 

BT had planned to utilise the boxes to tackle what they called a “national shortfall in EV charging infrastructure”. 

However, they have now backtracked and are diverting attention to the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity surrounding EV charging points which makes it impossible to pay for a session via apps. 

An East Lothian Council spokesperson said today: “East Lothian has one of the highest numbers of electric vehicle chargers per head of population among Scotland’s local authorities, with more than 370 public places to plug in cars.” 

Zapmap, which tracks charging points across the UK, shows 11 charging points in the East Lothian region. 

A BT spokesperson also told the BBC yesterday that the trial tested “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”. 

They went on to say: “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.”