London street lights adapted to charge electric vehicles

Three street lights in Kensington have been converted into electric charge points as part of a trial set up by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, UK Power Networks and Ubitricity.

This will allow two local residents to charge their vehicles from a street light near their front door, and receive accurate bills for their electricity use via their smart phone or home PC.

The trial in Onslow Gardens, Kensington, makes way for drivers to plug in at a street light that has smart charging cables to allow the amount of electric being used to be measured, so it can then be paid for.

Councillor Tim Coleridge, the Royal Borough’s cabinet member for highways, said: “A growing number of residents have made enquiries about the availability of electric vehicle charging points here in Kensington and Chelsea.

“The use of street lights as charging points provides electric vehicle owners and users charging opportunities closer to where they live and work. If this trial is successful we will look at exploring other opportunities for using street lights in this way.”

In December, the Department for Transport launched the On Street Residential Scheme which helps provide funding to install charge points in residential areas, with an overall project budget of £2.5 million.