There are few less appealing items in the universe than the ashtray. It’s literally a container for soot, carcinogens, and the occasional whiff of menthol. But in train stations across the Netherlands, the lanky, six-foot smoke poles are something of an architectural icon. So even as 300 of the poles were removed from stations last October when public smoking at railways became illegal, railroad owner ProRail has securely stored the poles, wanting them preserved for a new purpose.
So what could that purpose be? Charging e-bikes.
In a pilot project by the smart lighting companyLightwell, the smoke poles have had their center ashtray sections removed and replaced with plugs compatible for charging e-bikes. “We made a few designs and figured out we could refurbish almost the entire original product . . . keeping its iconic design,” says Florian Mesch, industrial designer at Lightwell.As of now, ProRail has installed two of these updated charge pillars as part of a pilot test, and Mesch believes that ProRail plans to install many more down the line. From the looks of it, Lightwell has demonstrated how easily a dated, old piece of infrastructure can be refurbished with a new life. Besides, cycling was always more fun than smoking, anyway.
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