American clean energy company Beam Global has just announced its latest innovation, which it hopes can replace archaic street lighting grids with something actually useful, particularly as we enter an era of increasing adoption of electric vehicles.
The BeamSpot sustainable electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure system, to give it its full name, replaces a standard streetlight with a module that harnesses solar, wind, and utility-generated electricity to recharge an integrated 15 kWh battery pack.
As a result, Beam Global claims each unit can provide up to 220 “e-miles” to vehicles every day, and the 5.76kW output can provide admittedly very slow battery recharges while EV owners drive to the shops, park for work, or leave their vehicles parked on the curb overnight.
Perhaps the biggest draw is the fact that Beam Global says it can leverage existing infrastructure, and its BeamSpot units do not require “new or upgraded power grid circuits, trenches, construction, easements, leases or complex permits.”
Beam Global will require a fair amount of space and some fairly forgiving city planners, though, as the units are 12 metres tall with the wind turbine option installed, or 9 metres tall without. They also look like an alien invasion.
Beam Global hopes to deploy its innovative solution in those areas that require it most, such as multi-unit communities, where residents do not have access to a garage or off-street parking, as well as public places where space may not be as much of an issue.
Wanting to be green
Curbside charging, where EV owners can plug their vehicles into streetlights and other existing infrastructure, is nothing new, but Beam Global has added another element by creating its own power through wind and sun.
The presence of onboard battery packs allows BeamSpot to charge and discharge when needed, while taking advantage of existing low-loop power when batteries run low or solar and wind power are not sufficient to meet demand.
Despite being a great idea, we can imagine that some of the planning meetings around installing these things could get pretty heated, as they are a blight on the surrounding landscape.
Furthermore, the incorporation of onboard battery packs, as well as expensive green charging technology, will likely make the unit cost of each BeamSpot far exceed that of more compact options that plug into an existing grid.
While we agree that more needs to be done for EV owners who don't have access to home charging systems, we're not sure that 40-foot wind turbines lining residential streets is the answer.
