Valencia uses lampposts to charge electric cars in bid to become carbon neutral

It may be best know for its stunning architecture but the Spanish city of Valencia has a new ambition: to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Street lights are used to recharge electric cars, with the initiative proving so successful that the initial 12 charging stations is being increased to more than 150.

Motion detection cameras will soon mean these street lights turn on or increase their intensity when someone walks past, as a further energy saving measure…

It’s not just energy that’s saved, either. “To make an estimate of the savings, just consider that installing a recharging point of this type costs about 2,500 euros, compared to the 50,000 euros required for the traditional charging points,” says project coordinator Ernesto Faubel.