BT Group has powered up its first EV charge point transformed from one of the company’s old street cabinets.

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Installed in East Lothian by Etc, the group’s start-up incubation hub, the charger will be available for local residents to use for free until the end of May by downloading an app from the App Store or Google Play Store and is easily accessible by both cars and vans.

It’s the first in a UK-wide trial to turn former BT ‘green boxes’ across the UK into charge points to address the shortfall in public EV charging points.

Currently, there are just over 5,000 public electric vehicle chargers operational in Scotland – BT Group has identified up to 4,800 street cabinets that could be used for potential upgrade across the nation to meet increasing demand for charging.

Fiona Hyslop, Scottish Government Transport Secretary, said: “This is an exciting and innovative development in the provision of electric vehicle charging so I’m really pleased that the first trial in the UK is taking place in East Lothian.

“This government is committed to supporting people to make the switch from petrol and diesel vehicles, and our vision for Scotland’s future public EV charging network highlights the need for private sector finance and delivery to build on our significant investment in the network to date.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing more partnerships working like this as we continue to help people in Scotland to make greener transport choices.”

Tom Guy, managing director of Etc at BT Group, added: “Our research shows that 78% of petrol and diesel drivers see not being able to conveniently charge an EV as a key barrier to purchasing one. We want this to change.

“It’s critical that we all start to play our part in looking at existing infrastructure to drive innovation at speed to support government set sustainability targets. We’re proud to be partnering with local councils across the UK as part of this trial, which presents a unique opportunity to tap into existing assets to drive the important transition to electrification in the UK.”

The BT Group electric vehicle charging trial will focus next on West Yorkshire, with the business hoping to roll the trial out to up to 600 sites across the UK.

Traditionally used to store broadband and phone cabling, the street cabinets can be repurposed to provide a much-needed on-street charging solution – and without the need to create new power connections. Throughout the pilots, BT Group will test elements ranging from the digital customer experience to engineering and technology choices, operational and commercial options.

The app, designed and developed by BT Group in consultation with EV drivers, will be in operation throughout the trials and displays real-time price, availability and charge speed. It also provides the ability to start, stop and monitor charge sessions and to filter by connector type, kW speed and charging network.

Electric vehicle drivers will also be able to connect their EV to the app to get live updates on battery levels, estimated costs and charge times, and access to charging history at a glance.