Will the grid cope with mass EV demand?

As electric vehicle (EV) adoption increases will the UK’s electricity grid cope with mass demand from EVs?

Well, we’re glad you asked. This question is exactly what we’ve been exploring with the Electric Nation smart charging trial and the answer from our team is (reassuringly) yes.

Recent government announcements have stated that All new cars in the UK will be “effectively zero emission” by 2040, under plans to tackle air pollution. This announcement means that electric car and van sales are guaranteed to rocket up in the next 20 years. So it makes sense that we should be concerned about the effect of this on our electricity grid. Concerns centre around the worry that future overloading could lead to power cuts and blackouts.

Listen to Dr Phil Coker, Lecturer on Renewable Energy, University of Reading, on BBC Radio Berkshire (at 49mins 38sec in this clip- after Take That) as he explains how smart-charging electric vehicles is the key to balancing out demand and easing the pressure on the grid.

The aim of the Electric Nation trial

The Electric Nation project aims to build an understanding of the potential impact that the increasing uptake of EVs will have on local electricity networks. Cars with different battery sizes and charge rates may affect the UK’s electricity grid differently and this needs to be understood. The impact of human behaviour will also be investigated.

Find out more about the project and how you could be a part of it.

Electric Nation news:

New Electric Nation project : your EV to power your home – June 3^rd 2020
Project Summary – Electric Nation smart charging trial – 28^th Oct 2019
Key insights into smart charging from Electric Nation trial – 16^th Jul 2019
Smart charging trial provides key solution to EV demand on network – 15^th Mar 2018
Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle event 2017 – 5^th Sept 2017
Will the grid cope with mass EV demand? – 28^th Jul 2017
Nottingham gets first EV home smart charger – 16^th Jun 2017
Free Smart Charger installs begin – 23^rd Feb 2017
New EV owners invited to join Electric Nation community – 16^th Sep 2016