As electric vehicles continue to find their way onto streets throughout the United States, having an available charging source nearby remains a dilemma. The range of electric vehicles is limited on one charge, and drivers want to be able to go about freely without the anxiety of finding a charging station. There are also those who live in apartments or otherwise don’t have the connection or infrastructure at their home to charge their vehicles.

This is especially valuable as, despite the end of the $7,500 EV tax credit on new purchases, many manufacturers are still working on new EV offerings. If EV charging infrastructure could fit into everyday places, it could help solve the problem of limited charging availability.

Considering this, researchers at Penn State asked if streetlights could be set up as a charging source. After all, street lighting infrastructure already exists, which makes implementation easier and scalable. And they could be designed and developed to be cheaper, faster and easily integrated into cities everywhere.

After a pilot program in Kansas City, Mo., the research team installed 23 charging stations integral to streetlights. Charging stations can be expensive, and their utility often depends on how fast one can charge an EV.

A similar solution was deployed just outside of Boston several years ago. In the pilot project, National Grid and EVSE LLC installed 15 EV chargers on wooden utility distribution poles.

In this new pilot study, the Penn State researchers found their prototype charging stations to be cost-effective and time-efficient. They also used artificial intelligence (A.I.) to determine where to put the chargers to meet demand. They also used A.I. to ensure that the charging stations were in underserved areas, making charging available to all stratifications of income and living.

The Metropolitan Energy Center also was involved in the project, and it credits upfront community engagement as a critical element in making this project a success and scaling it to those who need it.