How BT’s Etc. is Innovating Urban EV Charging

Jess Kyte's career began at BT in the retail division, where she quickly transitioned into product and product design roles. 

She then moved on to Hive, one of Europe's leading smart home providers

"At Hive, I managed the design and development of various products, including cameras, sensors, plugs and lights," Jess recalls. "It was an amazing opportunity to build technologies that significantly improved customers' everyday lives in their homes."

Following this successful stint at Hive, Jess spent two-and-a-half years at Vodafone in the smart tech division. There, she continued to develop products and experiences that enhanced customers' daily lives, mainly focusing on helping them stay connected to the things they love, both inside and outside the home.

"Our work in smart tech at Vodafone was impactful and award-winning," she adds.

Jess eventually returned to BT, bringing her wealth of experience and innovative mindset to her new role at Etc., where she continues to drive technological advancements and customer-focused solutions.

Etc. is BT's innovation hub, fostering creativity and rapid experimentation. This collaborative space pushes beyond telecoms, identifying disruptive technologies and new product opportunities. 

With experienced leaders like Jess, Etc. empowers teams to develop cutting-edge solutions, keeping it at the forefront of technological advancement. By leveraging its resources and expertise, the hub transforms innovative concepts into market-ready products, reinforcing its dedication to continuous improvement and industry leadership.

Electrifying cities

Like many global cities, London is a whirlwind of activity and innovation, yet it stands on a foundation of old infrastructure. 

Scaling up to meet the demands of the rapidly-growing EV market is a complex task. To do it swiftly and effectively requires vision, strategic planning and a collaboration of brilliant minds. 

Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Company, puts it succinctly: "Electrifying urban transportation is not just about building cars; it's about creating an ecosystem that supports a new way of living and moving. We’re committed to partnering with cities worldwide to realise this vision."

Enter London's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, a detailed blueprint designed to massively increase the number of EV charging points across the city, propelling the shift towards zero-emission transportation. The strategy hinges on a blend of public and private sector cooperation, funding and robust support. At its heart lies the challenge of integrating this new infrastructure with the old.

The scale of this task is monumental. Consider the coverage needed for all major national ports, including airports, seaports and road ports. Heathrow Airport alone, with its 20,000-plus parking spaces and more than 50,000 daily parking transactions, presents a vivid illustration of the challenge. Heathrow's website advises EV drivers to ensure their vehicles are adequately charged before arrival—a clear sign that the airport has significant work ahead to meet the 2035 zero-emission deadline.

Ved Sen, Head of Innovation at Tata Consultancy Services in the UK and Ireland, summarises the global challenge: "These are new problems to fix. We have to focus on the lens of change. We have to figure out how we go from the world we live in today to this new world and that change includes things like liabilities and legal positions."

BT fibre network

Jess and her team at Etc. are diving into an innovative project: transforming BT's ubiquitous 'green street cabinets' throughout London into EV charge points.

While this won't solve Heathrow's massive challenges, it addresses a significant issue: off-road parking charge points.

These often-overlooked green street cabinets could become the backbone of a widespread EV charging network. Jess' team is leveraging existing infrastructure to create a more EV-friendly urban environment, providing a practical and immediate solution to urban EV charging needs.

In their work at Etc., Jess and her team identified an opportunity to support the UK's energy-transition goals and are piloting the concept in the East Lothian region of Scotland to gauge its potential.

The plan involves retrofitting BT's green street cabinets with devices that utilise spare power capacity not used by the broadband network, enabling curbside EV charging.

"The existing fibre network alongside the broadband service is a key advantage," Jess explains. "We don't need to create a new power connection; we can use the one already in place."

As BT transitions from copper to fibre technology, these green street cabinets will eventually become redundant. 

Jess adds: "When BT vacates these cabinets from the broadband network, we can potentially add more charge points using the remaining power capacity."

The initiative aims to repurpose existing infrastructure for quicker EV charge point deployment, showcasing Jess and her team's commitment to innovative urban solutions.

East Lothian pilot

"The prototype went live on 1 May 2024," Jess announces, referring to the East Lothian pilot project. 

Initially offered for free, the now-paid-for service has yielded valuable insights. 

"We've observed interesting trends, like repeat usage and frequent returns," Jess continues. “We've also gathered data on charging durations and emerging patterns.”

The original concept was aimed at the 30% of UK residents who do not have driveways or garages and can't charge at home. 

"We want to solve the problem for that 30% looking to switch to EVs and needing a regular, convenient charging option near their homes," Jess says.

The pilot charge point in East Lothian features 7.4-kilowatt units with two sockets, requiring six to eight hours for a full charge. Real-world data from East Lothian has provided unexpected but valuable insights into customer behaviour, challenging initial predictions.

"We've received feedback on optimising the user experience, which is crucial for us," Jess goes on. "It's not just about installing more charge points but solving user experience challenges. These insights help us refine and improve the service for our customers."

Jess explains that these wider pilots are aimed at gaining comprehensive insights into the EV opportunity across the UK. 

"These pilots will help us understand the user experience, enabling us to deploy more prototypes throughout the UK and delve into the details," she elaborates.

BT's extensive infrastructure, with green street cabinets spanning most of the UK, offers a significant opportunity as they are often in areas where there is limited access to driveways and home-charging capabilities. 

“This presents a real opportunity to support customers who won't be able to have a home charger when they switch to EVs," Jess adds. 

The existing infrastructure offers a chance to provide curbside EV charging for everyone, ensuring it is reliable, convenient and accessible.

Findings of the pilot

Jess is optimistic about expanding pilots, noting: "Our East Lothian deployment shows we can achieve this with current technology." 

She highlights that they aim to identify advancements that can enhance the process further.

"We're excited to explore this more in the future," she says.

Jess identifies EV adoption as a significant challenge for meeting net-zero goals. 

Encouraging this switch is tricky, as 60% of people find the UK's charging infrastructure needs improvement. More than three-quarters (78%) of petrol and diesel drivers cite inconvenient charging as a barrier. 

Addressing these issues is a top priority for Jess and her team.

Repurposing existing infrastructure

Jess emphasises the advantages of reusing existing infrastructure for deploying charge points, eliminating the need for new power connections, minimising disruption and speeding up the rollout. 

As cabinets are vacated, increased power availability supports more charge points in residential areas. 

"In high-demand areas where many EV owners can't charge at home, we can expand the number of charge points," she says.

Jess and her team gain critical insights from pilot projects, leveraging existing power sources and transitioning from copper to fibre. 

"We aim to use renewable electricity," Jess emphasises, underscoring their commitment to sustainability.

Collaboration

Jess also outlines the essential role of government support in electrifying roads and deploying EV charging infrastructure. 

"Government support will be fundamental and crucial," she notes, expressing eagerness to collaborate with local and national governments to drive the project forward and align with the UK's net-zero plans.

Jess clarifies that specific cost figures for repurposing infrastructure are unnecessary at this stage.

"We're still learning and understanding all the moving parts," she explains. 

The aforementioned pilot, funded from their existing budget, is modest in scale and aims to gain a thorough understanding of the venture. Looking ahead, the aim is to minimise the impact on capital expenditure projections as the venture scales up, exploring various funding options, including public funding.

Jess highlights the importance of close cooperation with local and national governments given the significant shortfall in charge points, stating that the current pool of 60,000 must increase to about 300,000 by 2035.

She continues: "We've got these 90,000 green street cabinets and an opportunity to use a portion of them for EV charge points." 

Reality of infrastructure

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group, aptly describes the electrification of cities: "Urban areas are the battleground for the EV revolution. By investing in charging infrastructure and innovative technologies, we can make EVs a viable and attractive option for city residents, driving us closer to a sustainable future."

Shenzhen, China, is leading the way in electrification. A vibrant metropolis which became a city in January 1979, it boasts modern infrastructure built from the ground up in recent decades.

In stark contrast, London and New York offer a glimpse of a different era of urban development. London was officially granted city status in 1067 and New York's city designation, coming later, has infrastructures spanning centuries. The historical legacy means they must work with older, less adaptable foundations. London, in particular, has been navigating its medieval infrastructure for nearly a millennium, presenting unique challenges in modernisation compared to Shenzhen's contemporary landscape.

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