- Washington, D.C. is funding new curbside EV charging projects across the city.
- Voltpost will retrofit existing streetlights and utility poles into Level 2 chargers.
- Officials hope easier charging access will encourage more residents to switch to EVs.
There’s no doubt that the biggest issue facing electric vehicle adoption relates to range. Specifically, how fast and how easy it is to go from a low battery to a full one. While it’s easy to own an EV if you can charge at home overnight, it’s a totally different story for everyone else who doesn’t have that cheap daily access to power. Now, a company is trying to provide a solution, and it’s using existing street-side infrastructure to do it.
Rather than digging up sidewalks and installing entirely new charging stations, Washington, D.C., is helping fund a project that converts existing streetlights and utility poles into EV chargers. According to WJLA, the District’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) recently awarded $609,500 in grants to three EV charging companies. One of the biggest winners is Voltpost, a startup that specializes in retrofitting existing poles with Level 2 charging equipment.
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According to the company, its chargers can be installed in just a few hours by leveraging existing electrical infrastructure. That means no major construction work, no trenching, and potentially tens of thousands of dollars in savings compared to traditional charging installations. The company says it plans to deploy up to 16 chargers around the city, though exact locations are still being determined in coordination with local agencies and utility provider Pepco.
Funded By Dieselgate, Not Taxpayers
Voltpost wasn’t the only recipient. PowerUp America received funding to expand its charging footprint, while curbside charging specialist ‘It’s Electric’ also secured grant money. Together, the three companies are expected to significantly increase public charging access across the District. Importantly, none of the funding comes from local taxpayers. The cash actually comes from the money allocated to D.C. from Volkswagen’s emissions-cheating settlement with the EPA.
If this approach proves successful, it could help build a guideline for how urban areas nationwide could add relatively inexpensive public charging without major infrastructural changes. That alone could make EV adoption that much easier for those who can’t charge where they live otherwise.
