The California-based company intends to add roadside EV charging and solar and wind power for street lights.
Beam Global's BeamSpot includes solar panels and small wind turbines generating some of its power, with built-in battery storage for maximum use. While conventional streetlights usually only have enough power to illuminate, renewable energy supplements provide “meaningful” EV charging power, Beam Global said.
Standing 40 feet tall (30 feet without wind option), the BeamSpot streetlight can charger produce 1kw each from the sun and wind if both are specified. The battery capacity is 15 kwh. Beam Global Claims charging output up to 5.76 kw. In total, the company estimates that BeamSpot can add up to 220 kilometers of range after a day of charging.
Beam Global says BeamSpot can be installed on it existing streetlight bases while avoiding the complex construction and permitting processes of conventional EV chargers. That would allow rapid expansion of EV charging infrastructure in urban areas without taking up valuable curbside space—all while giving apartment dwellers a place to charge.
Kansas City's proposed streetlight charging station (via Kansas City MEC)
Some municipalities in the US have shown interest in streetlight EV chargers, to varying degrees. Two companies—AmpUp and EVSE—recently announced that they have been awarded a contract by the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting to add 150 chargers to streetlight poles in the city. That's part of the mayor's goal of adding 10,000 streetlight EV chargers throughout the City of Angels.
Seattle in 2022 announced plans to install curbside EV chargers, even on request. Kansas City and New York began testing the concept in 2021, with the latter reporting high usage rates.