InsideEVs: UK Grid Might Be Strained By EV Influx Come 2030

This prediction seems much more likely than the one from McKinsey that imagines that adding EVs does not increase the peak load: UK Grid Might Be Strained By EV Influx Come 2030

InsideEVs said:

Under scenarios which envisage Britain meeting its 2050 carbon reduction target, the National Grid says that additional peak electricity demand could be between 5 and 8.1 gigawatts by 2030, representing a 9-14 percent rise from 2017 peak electricity demand in Britain of 57GW.

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This is a very big deal in the UK where the amount of dispatchable electricity available is extremely marginal and shrinking without the addition of significant new loads. (And in case anyone thinks this analysis was in error, the UK has already come very close to blackout since that analysis was done.)

Charging stations or EVs need to be delayable by the grid. And the UK should be requiring this soon, rather than wait for the grid to collapse.

Almost all the time, a driver doesn't care when the car is charged. Plugs in when he gets home or to work, unplugs when he leaves. As long as he gets the usual hour or a couple of hours out of the eight to fourteen hours or so that the car is plugged in, all should be well.

WetEV said:

Charging stations or EVs need to be delayable by the grid. And the UK should be requiring this soon, rather than wait for the grid to collapse.

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Agreed. In fact, EVs can benefit the grid in many ways if they are managed properly. Unfortunately, I do not see any real movement by the utilities to bring this to fruition.

WetEV said:

Almost all the time, a driver doesn't care when the car is charged. Plugs in when he gets home or to work, unplugs when he leaves. As long as he gets the usual hour or a couple of hours out of the eight to fourteen hours or so that the car is plugged in, all should be well.

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And in the case of BEVs with large batteries, charging can often be skipped altogether many nights. Eventually, BEV charging will be best accomplished when the sun shines and these cars can give up some of their charge at nighttime.