Beam Global sells an innovative portable solar-powered EV charger that fits in a parking space and can be set up in mere hours. Obvious applications for the EV ARC include off-grid and/or temporary charging needs, such as events of disaster relief (a few of these would have come in handy here in St. Pete, Florida recently). However, when Charged spoke with CEO Desmond Wheatley back in 2022, he pointed out that there are numerous other applications too—just about anywhere that limited grid power and/or fast installation are issues.
We believe that curbside charging is shaping up as one of the hottest parts of the EV charging infrastructure universe—it’s the obvious solution for urban drivers who aren’t able to install chargers at home—so we were quite interested to read about Beam’s new BeamSpot curbside charging product line.
Now the company has announced that it has received the first order for its BeamSpot curbside chargers from an unnamed long-term customer, a “Fortune 500 company in the utility and energy solutions sector.” Multiple corporate offices will each install three BeamSpot systems for EV charging and street lighting.
The BeamSpot curbside charging system is a streetlight replacement that can be powered by solar, wind and/or grid-provided electricity, stored in Beam’s proprietary integrated batteries. The system integrates with existing streetlight electrical infrastructure and provides both EV charging and lighting. Suitable locations include urban areas such as city centers, residential neighborhoods, parking lots, multi-unit housing and public venues.
“While there are existing streetlight EV charging solutions on the market, those rely entirely on the streetlight’s electrical circuit, which is typically only equipped with enough capacity to power a light,” says Beam. “The BeamSpot solution combines three sources of electricity in its on-board batteries, allowing for a higher-capacity EV charge which is largely provided by renewable energy, and which will continue to operate during blackouts and other grid failures. The BeamSpot product will also continue to light streets during grid failures.”
“This first order demonstrates the marketability of the BeamSpot product,” said CEO Desmond Wheatley. “This product solves one of the toughest challenges facing the industry today—the need for ubiquitous, sustainable charging at the curb that can be deployed quickly and without major easements, construction or electrical work.”
Source: Beam Global