{"id":12299,"date":"2022-08-13T14:54:04","date_gmt":"2022-08-13T14:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/08\/13\/these-pole-mounted-ev-chargers-let-down-their-joules\/"},"modified":"2022-08-13T14:54:05","modified_gmt":"2022-08-13T14:54:05","slug":"these-pole-mounted-ev-chargers-let-down-their-joules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/08\/13\/these-pole-mounted-ev-chargers-let-down-their-joules\/","title":{"rendered":"These pole-mounted EV chargers let down their joules"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/8\/12\/23301826\/pole-mounted-chargers-ev-electric-vehicles-melrose-boston<\/a>
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Electric utility poles do a lot for us: they power our homes, take nails for our yard sale and lost cat signs, and shine light for our streets at night. But arguably their greatest contribution yet is helping EV owners juice up their cars. We\u2019re talking about pole-mounted EV chargers, an awesome and apparently feasible public charging solution found in a few places like Melrose, Massachusetts, which recently installed several with the help of the local utility, National Grid.<\/p>\n

The utility company worked with the city of Melrose<\/a> to install the elevated chargers around town, helping EV owners who otherwise don\u2019t have access to a garage or private parking space with dedicated charging. And according to the company, these charging stations reduce installation costs by 70 percent compared to traditional ground stations.<\/p>\n

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Melrose is the first city in the East Coast to have pole-mounted electric vehicle chargers, mounted at 10 feet in convenient locations throughout the community. pic.twitter.com\/nkrjr7on0p<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) August 8, 2022<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

One of the biggest things standing in the way of mass EV adoption is the lack of a reliable charging infrastructure, and the only way to convince the public to buy an EV is to counteract that by installing more chargers. Being able to charge at home is the biggest benefit, but not everyone has the luxury of a private driveway.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the real beauty of these chargers: they\u2019re cheaper to install and aren\u2019t in anyone\u2019s way. They don\u2019t need to jump through a whole lot of red tape for ground space and wiring, and don\u2019t necessarily require dedicated parking spots that could just get ICE\u2019d anyway (a term used by avid EV drivers describing charge spots occupied by internal-combustion-engine vehicles). You can parallel park like you normally would, follow the same parking rules that everyone else does, and charge from a power source stemming from pre-existing infrastructure.<\/p>\n

One of the pole-mounted charging locations is on Berwick Street, which is adjacent to a residential neighborhood where visitors would probably park to visit someone or stroll to the nearby town center. It doesn\u2019t interrupt the bike lane that\u2019s next to it, and since the cable automatically descends from above, it doesn\u2019t get in the way of pedestrians either.<\/p>\n

Plug and Play EV, an electric vehicle advocacy channel on YouTube, demonstrated how the system works<\/a>. You park by the pole, download the AmpUp app (which provides the customer-facing interface for the charger), and scan the QR code on the pole to activate one of the two J1772 connectors. It will then lower itself far enough to grab. Then you can further extend it by holding the lock\/unlock button on the plug. Once it\u2019s close enough to your car, you can plug in and let the electrons flow. Parking is limited to three hours, but it\u2019s otherwise free \u2014 all you pay for is the electricity, which is currently rated at $0.25 per kWh according to the Plugshare app<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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