BT’s innovative plan to transform 60,000 street cabinets into EV chargers, Tesla’s recall in China, and AI self-driving technology, along with declining electric vehicle (EV) resale values in the US markets.
BT’s Plan to Transform Street Cabinets into EV Chargers
The UK is making big moves in the world of cheap electric cars, with BT Group‘s project to turn old street cabinets into EV charging stations.
The project to turn up to 60,000 old street cabinets into EV charging points is starting with a trial in Scotland and could spread across the UK. This is important because there’s a shortage of EV chargers, especially outside of big cities and more chargers are required to expand the EV charging network.
The plan is to use both working and old broadband cabinets and add a special device to them. This device will let the cabinets share renewable energy to charge cars, while still providing broadband services. Each cabinet will have two charging sockets and a backup battery pack to make sure internet services don’t get interrupted.
The first of these installations will be in East Lothian, and more are planned across the UK soon. This project even won an award at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, showing how innovative it is!
Tesla’s Big Recall in China
Tesla, the famous American electric car company, is recalling over 1.6 million cars in China. This is because of some problems with the steering software and the systems that lock the doors. The Chinese government found these issues and said they needed to be fixed for safety.
Tesla is going to fix these problems with a software update that can be done remotely, so car owners won’t need to go to a dealership. This is a modern way to solve car issues and shows Tesla‘s commitment to keeping its customers safe.
Before this, Tesla had to fix similar problems in the US and China, affecting millions of cars. They’re working hard to make sure their cars are safe and reliable.
Advancing Self-Driving Technology with Oxa
In Oxfordshire, a tech company called Oxa is bringing us closer to having self-driving cars. They showed off a test car at Culham Science Park that can drive itself, using advanced technology like radar and lidar. This car can learn and react to other cars on its own, although there’s still a human driver there just in case.
Oxa doesn’t make cars or safety gear. Instead, they focus on the artificial intelligence (AI) software that makes cars drive themselves. They think this tech will be used more for shared vehicles, like buses, rather than private cars.
This tech has also been tested on an off-road vehicle that can drive completely on its own. But, current UK laws don’t allow cars to fully drive themselves yet. The only car that’s allowed to partly self-steer on UK highways is the Ford Mustang Mach-E, as long as the driver stays alert.
A decline in EV Resale Values in the US and Potential Impact in the UK
The Financial Times has reported the US electric vehicle market saw a big drop in how much used electric cars are worth. Top models from Tesla, General Motors, and Ford lost about 28% of their value in 2023. This might affect the UK too, where small electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe are also losing value faster than before. This could make new electric cars more expensive to lease, which is important because most new cars in the UK are bought on lease.
So, there you have it! From innovative charging solutions and big recalls to cool self-driving tech and the economics of EVs, the electric vehicle world in the UK is buzzing with activity!
