A California-based company aims to add curbside EV charging and solar and wind power to streetlights.
Beam Global’s BeamSpot incorporates solar panels and small wind turbines to generate some of its own energy, with built-in battery storage to maximize use of it. While normal streetlights generally have only enough power for illumination, the renewable-energy additions provide the power for “meaningful” EV charging, Beam Global said.
Standing 40 feet tall (30 feet without the wind option), the BeamSpot streetlight charger can generate 1 kw each from solar and wind if both are specified. Battery capacity is 15 kwh. Beam Global claims charging output of up to 5.76 kw. Altogether, the company estimates the BeamSpot can add 220 miles of range after a day of charging.
Beam Global claims the BeamSpot can be installed in existing streetlight foundations while avoiding the more complex construction and permitting processes for conventional EV chargers. That could allow for quicker expansion of EV charging infrastructure in urban areas without taking up precious sidewalk space—all while giving apartment dwellers a place to charge.
Proposed streetlight charging station for Kansas City (via Kansas City MEC)
Some municipalities in the U.S. have shown interest in streetlight EV chargers, to varying degrees. Two companies—AmpUp and EVSE—announced recently that they had been contracted by the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting to add 150 chargers to streetlight poles in the city. That’s part of a mayoral target to add 10,000 streetlight EV chargers throughout the City of Angels.
Seattle in 2022 announced plans to install curbside EV chargers, albeit only by request. Kansas City and New York began testing the concept in 2021, with the latter reporting high utilization rates.