CREDIT: BEAM GLOBAL
Beam Global, a provider of innovative and sustainable infrastructure solutions for the electrification of transportation and energy security, announced the official launch of the patented BeamSpot sustainable curbside electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure system. The streetlight replacement combines solar, wind, and utility-generated electricity into Beam Global’s proprietary integrated batteries to provide resiliency, lighting, and curbside EV charging. BeamSpot products are intended for public use in areas where EV charging is needed most but traditional installation methods are most challenging, including in street parking environments, communities with multi-unit housing, and public access complexes such as shopping centers, airports, event centers, stadiums, and amusement parks.
Last year Beam Global announced the creation of Beam Europe through the acquisition of Amiga DOO, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of streetlights. One of the many benefits of the acquisition was the enhancement of Beam Global’s ability to bring the BeamSpot product to market in both Europe and the U.S.
“We believe our BeamSpot product line will solve real problems both in America and in Europe: expanding access to charging where people need it most, at the curb, on the street, and in parking lots,” says Desmond Wheatley, CEO of Beam Global. “Areas with the most EVs often face significant challenges in deploying infrastructure and managing increased electricity demand. Traditional charging infrastructure can be costly and disruptive to install, often requiring significant modifications to existing public spaces. BeamSpot charging stations minimize the need for disruptive construction and electrical work while providing access to charging where people live, shop, dine, work, and play. And because BeamSpot generates and stores renewable energy it will add robust capacity and reduce the threat from blackouts, without the need to build power stations and transmission and distribution infrastructure.”
Using existing streetlight foundations and circuits to power EV charging stations is an innovative approach to expanding EV charging infrastructure but streetlights generally only have sufficient power to energize light bulbs – much less than is needed to provide meaningful charges to electric vehicles. BeamSpot replaces existing streetlights with a product that combines multiple sources of renewable energy and onboard battery storage, providing a meaningful EV charging experience without requiring new or upgraded utility-grid circuits or other traditional curbside charging infrastructure requirements like trenching, construction, easements, leasing, or complex permitting. BeamSpot can reduce the time, cost, and complexity of expanding EV charging infrastructure while lowering utility costs, increasing resiliency, and balancing the grid.
There are an estimated 304 million streetlights around the world, with this number expected to grow to 352 million by 2025. This represents a significant addressable market opportunity to integrate BeamSpot EV charging infrastructure, especially in densely populated areas. In addition, many cities are pushing toward greener and smarter urban mobility solutions, but do not have the space or electrical circuitry required to install new charging stations. By simply replacing existing streetlights with BeamSpot systems, EV charging can be added without taking up additional real estate on sidewalks or in parking lots.