Kerbside power cabinets are street-side electrical cabinets that house the power distribution, protection, metering, and communications needed to supply EV chargers installed along a curb (kerb) in public streets. They act as the “electrical backbone” for kerbside charging, enabling safe, code-compliant connection between the local grid and one or more nearby charge points.
What Are Kerbside Power Cabinets?
A kerbside power cabinet is a weatherproof, lockable enclosure installed in the public realm that typically contains:
– Main incoming supply termination (from the utility feeder or local distribution)
– Protective devices (breakers, RCD/RCBO, surge protection)
– Sub-distribution circuits feeding one or multiple chargers
– Metering (site-level or circuit-level, sometimes MID metering where required)
– Communications equipment (router/modem, Ethernet switch, antenna, power supplies)
– Isolation points (isolation switches) for safe maintenance and fault handling
Depending on the architecture, chargers may be mounted on posts, integrated into street furniture, or placed at parking bays with the cabinet serving as the central supply node.
Why Kerbside Power Cabinets Matter for Public Charging
Kerbside charging is constrained by street space, public safety, and utility connection limitations. Power cabinets help by:
– Centralizing electrical components so chargers themselves can be compact
– Reducing the need for individual large enclosures at every parking bay
– Enabling easier maintenance and fault isolation without excavating the street
– Supporting scalable rollouts by feeding multiple charge points from one connection
– Improving safety and compliance through controlled protection and earthing design
For municipalities, kerbside power cabinets make deployments more standardized and repeatable across streets and districts.
Typical Use Cases
Kerbside power cabinets are commonly used for:
– Residential streets without off-street parking (apartment districts)
– Urban curbside bays where destination charging dwell times are long
– Neighborhood charging programs supporting inclusive mobility
– Historic city centers where equipment must be consolidated and visually managed
– Mixed-use streets where chargers must be installed with minimal sidewalk clutter
What’s Inside a Kerbside Power Cabinet
Typical cabinet components include:
Power distribution and protection
– Main breaker and feeder protection coordination
– RCD/RCBO selection aligned with charger requirements
– Surge protection devices (SPD) for lightning and switching transients
– Circuit protection per charge point or per charger group
– Thermal monitoring or ventilation where required
Metering and billing support
– Energy metering for consumption tracking and cost allocation
– Billing-grade options such as MID metering (market and project dependent)
– Data needed for interval metering and operational analytics
Communications and control
– Connectivity hardware for backend access (OCPP via CPMS)
– Local networking for multiple chargers
– Remote monitoring for faults, uptime, and power limits
– Integration points for load balancing or dynamic load management
Key Design Considerations
Kerbside environments impose strict constraints, so design typically focuses on:
– Weather protection and sealing (strong IP rating)
– Vandal resistance (IK ratings, often IK10 for public areas)
– Safe placement that preserves pedestrian clearance and accessibility routes
– Cable routing and ducting strategy to minimize street excavation
– Thermal management to avoid overheating in small enclosures
– Earthing and bonding strategy suitable for public installations
– Clear labeling and lockable access for authorized service only
Operational Considerations for CPOs and Cities
Kerbside power cabinets affect day-to-day operations:
– A single cabinet may feed multiple charge points, so fault isolation and redundancy are critical
– Preventive maintenance should include inspection of glands, seals, and terminations (common water-ingress points)
– Remote monitoring via CPMS helps identify repeated trips, communication failures, and abnormal idle consumption
– Incident procedures should define when to isolate a single circuit vs the full cabinet supply
– Public safety and streetworks coordination often require defined access windows and permits
Benefits and Limitations
Key benefits:
– Scalable architecture for multi-bay kerbside deployments
– Centralized protection, metering, and communications for easier servicing
– Cleaner streetscape compared to large enclosures on every charger
– Better control of site limits through centralized distribution and load management
Limitations to consider:
– Requires civil works (ducting/trenching) and careful reinstatement of surfaces
– Cabinet failure can impact multiple charge points if not segmented properly
– Space and permitting constraints in busy sidewalks and heritage areas
– Higher attention needed for vandalism risk, water ingress, and thermal design
Related Glossary Terms
Kerbside Charging
Public Charging
Street Charging
Infrastructure Zoning
Import Capacity
Hosting Capacity
Dynamic Load Management
OCPP
IP Ratings
IK10 Impact Protection