In the 1800s and early 1900s, hitching posts were a staple in prospering U.S. towns. They could be found in front of the most frequented and essential establishments such as mercantiles, saloons, the town doctor, and the county sheriff’s office. Business owners knew that if they didn’t accommodate their customers’ primary mode of transportation, travelers would move on to the next establishment that did.
Eventually, small towns morphed into cities and gas-powered vehicles came into the picture. Business owners and city leaders understood that to support new technologies and the ‘out with the old, in with the new’ transformation, hitching posts were obsolete. Today, gas stations have become ubiquitous in towns and cities across the nation and around the world to ensure residents, commuters, and travelers have access to the fuel they need within close proximity. However, times are changing once again, and battery-powered vehicles are quickly becoming a mainstream mode of transportation.
While electric vehicles (EV) still account for a small piece of the market — nearly 9 percent of the new cars sold last year worldwide were electric, up from 2.5 percent in 2019, according to the International Energy Agency — 2023 is predicted to be a breakthrough year for electric vehicles. And the momentum won’t stop there. In accordance with Biden administration targets, for example, half of all vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2030 will be zero-emission vehicles. That means cities will need to support almost 20 times more EV chargers than today to meet the influx in demand.
Easy and efficient access to public charging will soon become a necessity. In addition to privately owned electric vehicles, public transportation and ride-shares will soon transition to battery power, creating an even greater demand for public charging. Smart infrastructure can be leveraged to make it easy for drivers to find and access EV charging stations throughout a city.
Smart city planners and leaders recognize that the infrastructure groundwork they lay today will enable them to meet the requirements that will accompany the electric car market growth of tomorrow. There are several factors that come into play as city leaders develop EV charging plans, but it begins with a well-developed infrastructure. This includes broadband systems, fiber optic cabling, fiber-less technologies, premium wireless infrastructure, and scalable systems.
Finding a partner with experience in both wireless and fiber technologies is crucial to building out a city’s foundational infrastructure safely and securely. A partner with extensive knowledge of the area, as well as established relationships with local utility providers and officials eliminates bottlenecks associated with terrain navigation and permitting challenges.
Hylan offers full-service turnkey communications solutions and electrical infrastructure design and construction services for wireline, wireless and smart city municipal services. Their team’s decades of experience in both wireless and fiberless technologies makes them the ideal partner for building a strong foundational infrastructure to support your city’s needs today, tomorrow, and beyond. Because much like in the days of hitching posts, if you can’t accommodate tomorrow’s primary mode of transportation, travelers will move on to the next city that can.
Contact Hylan today and discover how, from initial concept through to planning, budgeting, design, construction and installation, our team can deliver exceptional quality and service for your next infrastructure project.