Street Light Pole EV charging: VoltPost

[Peugfan]

VoltPost offers an EVSE charger that retrofits to street lighting poles. A new model, VoltPost Air, attaches to the lighting pole 10 ft up to reduce vandalism. The charge cord retracts into the overhead charger when not in use. Only a few installed units are showing in the app: Dearborn, MI; NY, and Oakpark, IL.
https://www.voltpost.com/voltpost-air

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[E90alex]

Cool solution but very complicated and more things to break. What if the cable spool gets jammed?

We should take a page from the Europeans and require people to supply their own charging cable at public Level 2 chargers. That would prevent copper thieves from stealing cables at idle chargers.

Also metal recyclers should just refuse to take electrical cables without a proper electrician license or electrical/demolition permit.

 

[Peugfan]

Cool solution but very complicated and more things to break. What if the cable spool gets jammed?

You can quibble over the design, but the more important point here is these light poles are in places people already park. The electricity is already there. No need for the expense of running additional conduit. This assumes, of course there is adequate kw‘s available.

 

[RickMachE]

Cool solution but very complicated and more things to break. What if the cable spool gets jammed?

We should take a page from the Europeans and require people to supply their own charging cable at public Level 2 chargers. That would prevent copper thieves from stealing cables at idle chargers.

Also metal recyclers should just refuse to take electrical cables without a proper electrician license or electrical/demolition permit.

In Michigan, they photo your ID, take your thumbprint, and MAIL you a check.

 

[E90alex]

In Michigan, they photo your ID, take your thumbprint, and MAIL you a check.

I don’t think WA does anything like that and they definitely need to. We constantly have chargers out of service due to cut cables. Our light rail was even out of service due to cut cables last week.

 

[dan_meh]

I do really like that Level 2 charging is getting love. We’re going to have to experiment and learn from other markets. Voltpost seems to have a good idea about attaching to existing infrastructure. Good insight!

I also like the idea of simple smart outlets like Pando. Like the OP, I do like Pando, but I’m more attracted to the insight: what if we just put in outlets that could load balance like a DCFC? https://www.pandoelectric.com/

Pennsylvania is going to invest and we’ll see how that goes. The big thing that the public investment will leave behind is the public infrastructure. Seems silly to point out, but the endpoint will probably need to be swapped out at some point. The lasting benefit, however is upstream of the endpoint.

DC has started a pilot program:
https://wtop.com/dc/2026/02/dc-brin...ch-ward-in-push-to-make-them-more-accessible/
(Please, policy not politics. DC is a city, not just a symbol. People raise families and buy groceries here).

DC is going the BYOC route (Bring Your Own Cable). There’s already a controversy about “taking over parking spaces.” We’re going to have to figure that out too. The culture spent a lot of time working out DCFC etiquette and we’re going to have to figure out L2 etiquette.

 

[XGC75]

I like the discussion of etiquette - cars releasing the plug and notifying passers-by that the car can be unplugged is a good standard practice.

I also love the idea of retrofitting streets for public charging. Physics will limit the viability of wireless charging and people in townhomes are a sizeable chunk of the population who would want and could afford the 30-40k EV but won't due to a lack of infrastructure.

Graphene batteries are another breakthrough that would help by improving time between charges.

 

[dalola]

Fun to think about a world devoid of evil. The human experiment is the ultimate dichotomy.

 

[Mach1E]

I also love the idea of retrofitting homes for public charging.

Do what now?

Where would these random strangers park?

 

[XGC75]

Fixed

 

[dan_meh]

Do what now?

Where would these random strangers park?

I’m looking into this. There’s a service that will put a post in the right of way between sidewalks and street. Your jurisdiction has to approve it, but it’s street parking with charging and I’m the supplier.

At least…. That’s how I understand it.

https://itselectric.us/

 

[dalola]

I’m looking into this. There’s a service that will put a post in the right of way between sidewalks and street. Your jurisdiction has to approve it, but it’s street parking with charging and I’m the supplier.

At least…. That’s how I understand it.

https://itselectric.us/

lol.... what could go wrong?

 

[Mach1E]

I’m looking into this. There’s a service that will put a post in the right of way between sidewalks and street. Your jurisdiction has to approve it, but it’s street parking with charging and I’m the supplier.

At least…. That’s how I understand it.

https://itselectric.us/

Interesting solution, just not sure what problem it’s solving for.

For the pennies in profit you make from something like this, I would pay dollars to NOT have random people parking in front of my house and/or knocking on my door when they can’t get it to work or it goes down.

Also, who would this be convenient for? L2 charging takes HOURS. So it would be for who? A neighbor who can’t charge at home for some reason? Some stranger that wants to park in front of your house to charge then….. do what exactly with those hours?

Maybe, if you’re in a densely populated city with a house right near commercial property etc. But even then I dunno.

 

[rreddy3]

Competition for parking spots in older, densly populated areas of DC is intense. I’m sure that’s true elsewhere. Georgetown comes to mind in DC. There are also city imposed residency permit limitations on parking in G’town.

I don’t know about Alexandria. But if Alex has such restrictions, it makes the implementation problematic or a non starter.

I wonder if a potential problem, presuming there is not a residency requirement/restriction on parking, is keeping non EVs from parking in what is thought of as public street parking? If Daniel’s area is one where street parking is an unregulated competitive sport, it might be a problem.

It also begs the question of who’s going to enforce an EV only parking spot that previously was fair game for one and all. I have trouble imagining the Alexandria police or meter maids, if such exist anymore, getting too wound up about it.

And, you’re right, I’m not really giving my fellow citizens the benefit of the doubt that they’ll abide by an EV only parking spot sign on a public street. That said, I get the concept and think “why not” do something for what may be perceived as the greater societal good.

 

[dan_meh]

I’ll report back as I learn more. I agree that it’s not for everyone, and with more information, I can give details.

It is a preferred approach by DC in its roll out, as reported by our news radio station (WTOP).

Random people park in front of our house all the time. If I can get paid for it, and if I can help the infrastructure, all the better. The people who park are usually visiting neighbors. We’re close enough to old town that it wouldn’t be a stretch to walk there from here.

There are a couple of folks in our neighborhood who also rent out their parking pad and EV chargers on PlugShare. The going rate is $3-4 per hour. At 11kw charging for our rates, the cost is $1, then you have to pay the fintech fees, so let’s say $1.25. $1.75-2.75 of passive income when I’m not using the space anyway, that’s tempting, at least enough for me to research. Granted, I’m not going to match the Ellison family for income, but I’m curious.

Like I say, I will report back.

Any other cool ideas you are seeing around?

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