Voltpost, a company developing lamppost electric vehicle (EV) charging systems, announced the commercial availability of a curbside EV charging solution. The company is developing and deploying EV charging projects in major US metro areas, including New York, Chicago, Detroit and others, this spring.

Voltpost retrofits lampposts into a modular and upgradable Level 2 EV charging platform powered by a mobile app. This first-of-a-kind platform provides people convenient and affordable charging while reducing the install cost and time, maintenance and footprint of chargers for communities.

While Voltpost can serve any EV, the lamppost charging platform proves particularly valuable for urban EV drivers living in multi-unit housing who lack dedicated parking spaces and have nowhere to charge an EV near their home. Unlike other curbside charging solutions, Voltpost can install a charger in one-to-two hours for a fraction of the cost with no construction, trenching or extensive permitting processes. The ease of installation helps bring more EV charging to underserved communities, high-density areas and other “charging deserts.”

The Voltpost curbside EV charging solution features:

• Integrated retractable cable management system in the charger that maximizes uptime and lowers operating and maintenance cost. This system has 20 feet of cable for convenient access to any part of the vehicle.

• Flexible and adaptive design for various use cases and environments, accommodating either 2 or 4 charging ports.

• Safety features exceeding the industry standard specifications for environmental exposure and vandalism.

• Proprietary ChargePlug with a pulsing light which routes the cable at a 90˚ angle to the car socket. This ensures that the cable does not present a hazard to adjacent traffic and pedestrians.

• Modular platform design allowing for quick and easy exchanges and upgrades. The design maximizes uptime, reduces operating and maintenance costs and supports smart city services including connectivity and grid services.

• Mobile application enabling drivers to manage charging events. Drivers have access to a map of available and in-use Voltpost chargers with the power to make reservations, track charging events, pay based on electricity consumed and gain insights on financial and environmental savings.

• Charge Station Management System (CSMS) that provides charging analytics for public and private stakeholders. The CSMS enables site hosts to set charger features including pricing and remotely monitor chargers.

Last year, Voltpost participated in the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Studio program, a collaboration between the NYC DOT and Newlab. During this time, Voltpost piloted the installation of charging stations on lampposts in New York, contributing to the city’s goal of installing 10,000 curbside chargers.

Voltpost installed chargers on lampposts at Newlab and in a DOT parking lot, gaining insights into cost-effective and efficient deployment strategies and informing the commercial launch. Voltpost’s chargers were quickly installed in one hour, operated with the highest uptime of any service in the pilot program and elicited positive feedback from New York drivers, the company said.