Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more and more common, but charging infrastructure is still catching up. One solution, according to a new study? Streetlights.
In field testing in Kansas City, MO, streetlights retrofitted to include EV chargers offered several notable advantages, including proximity to roadways, benefits to local economies, and faster charging speeds than conventional stations. The research suggests a way to use existing electrical infrastructure to speed the deployment of chargers, and to do so in neighborhoods that might otherwise be left behind.
“This approach fills an important gap for residents without private garages or driveways — an often-overlooked group in EV adoption compared with those who can charge at home,” says Yuyan “Annie” Pan, the first author of the new study, published in the Journal of Urban Planning and Development.
It’s the first time that streetlights have been modified to serve as EV charging stations. Pan and her colleagues at Pennsylvania State Univ. worked with the nonprofit Metropolitan Energy Center, the Kansas City government, the utility company Evergy, and the Missouri Public Service Commission to develop a plan for deploying chargers equitably across the city. The project was...
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