EV charging access is lacking. Are pole-mounted chargers the answer?

Burlington Electric Department has installed five new utility pole-mounted electric vehicle chargers. (Courtesy: BED)

Insufficient access to charging infrastructure stands as one of the primary drags on the transition to electric vehicles.

Only 22% of electric vehicle drivers in the U.S. have reliable access to home charging, according to a study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University researchers. Many communities suffer from so-called “charging deserts” with little to no public charging options.

Several utilities are rolling out EV chargers installed on existing utility poles, an application that is quicker and cheaper to deploy than standalone charging infrastructure.

In Vermont, the municipal utility serving Burlington recently installed five pole-mounted EV chargers as part of a new pilot program. A $0.21 per kWh charge will apply during on-peak hours, which is the equivalent of approximately $1.75 per gallon of gas. 

Burlington Electric Department hopes to expand access to EV charging and determine whether the pole-mounted chargers led to increased EV adoption in those communities. They will also test the durability and maintenance requirements of pole-mounted EV chargers.

Grants from the State of Vermont supported the purchase of the five EV chargers, which were mounted 10-12 feet off the ground.

“Our new pole-mounted EV chargers will help expand access and convenience to enable more Burlington residents to be able to make the switch from fossil fuels to electric vehicles,” said Darren Springer, Burlington Electric Department’s general manager. 

While many public charging stations require the installation of underground electrical lines, pole-mounted charging stations utilize existing wire Infrastructure.

Pole-mounted EV chargers can save between 55 and 70 percent on installation costs compared to ground-mounted chargers with no additional infrastructure, according to a report by the World Resources Insitute. Not all poles, however, can support EV chargers.

Crews install a PoleVolt charging station in the Belmont neighborhood, just outside of Uptown Charlotte, N.C. (Courtesy: Duke Energy)

Duke Energy, in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, has installed two pole-mounted chargers in the city and continues to test the technology at its Mount Holly research and development center.

The charging stations have an air quality sensor that measures pollution, an LED light that brightens as a vehicle approaches the parking space and a camera system for security, as well as an extended sidewalk and unloading area along the curb for people with disabilities.

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