If you have the privilege of owning a single-family home, driving an electric vehicle can be an incredibly transformative experience. Your car will arrive fully charged and ready to transport you to your desired destinations every morning.
However, the experience of owning an electric vehicle becomes less favorable if you lack a garage or a driveway.
Many electric vehicle owners in urban areas have no choice but to depend on fast chargers available to the public. Some individuals have resorted to connecting cables from their residences to the curb, which may present potential safety risks. Certain cities, such as Cambridge, Massachusetts, have implemented a formal process that permits individuals to install cable protectors on sidewalks that are accessible for wheelchairs. It’s a temporary solution that attempts to replicate some of the convenience that single-family homeowners experience, but it’s only an experiment.
The humble lamppost might be a more suitable choice. You can find them everywhere, equipped with all the necessary wiring for seamless curbside charging. A startup based in New York City, Voltpost, has been developing a product that modifies street lampposts to support electric vehicle charging. On Thursday, it unveiled its lamppost charger following a year of meticulous design and development.
The device functions as a protective covering for the lower section of the pole, housing the necessary electronics and cables to efficiently charge two to four electric vehicles at Level 2 speeds. It may not offer fast charging, but for the majority of individuals, it provides ample time to fully recharge overnight.
Voltpost conveniently positions the charger dock at hand level on the lamppost shroud, cleverly anchoring the retractable cable eight feet above to prevent it from touching the ground. The design is modular, making repairs and upgrades easier, according to the company. The company provides specialized software to charge station managers, enabling them to easily manage pricing and remotely monitor the devices.
Just like any other EV charger network, there is an app available to manage charging sessions and make payments. Drivers can also reserve chargers, a unique approach to claiming spots that will undoubtedly be convenient for drivers but may lead to some tension among neighbors.
According to Voltpost, their chargers can be installed swiftly, with the process taking only an hour in a test conducted with the New York City Department of Transportation. Additionally, it mentioned having projects in different stages of development and deployment in New York, Chicago, and Detroit. The startup recently secured a $3.6 million seed round in July.
