Electric Vehicles: How Much Do They Really Impact the Grid?

Progress is pushing forward with the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. EVs provide key advantages over petroleum-distillate-powered cars because they run just as efficiently on electricity produced by green energy as electricity produced with fossil fuels. This flexibility allows us to maximize the amount of renewable energy used without depleting our supply of fossil fuels.

Petroleum distillation processes are used to produce a myriad of chemicals that are found in everything from plastics to paint to medicines. Switching to EVs allows us to stretch our limited petroleum reserves, which are expected to run out in less than five decades from now. 

Will EV Adoption Sap Power Grids?

One of the biggest hurdles in making EVs ubiquitous is overcoming the weaknesses of our current power grids. Statisticians estimate that the typical American driver will leech 3,857 kilowatt-hours (kWh) off the electrical power grid to power one electric vehicle per year. If we estimate that 26.4 million EV drivers will be on the road in the next six years, vehicle power will consume approximately 2.5% of the grid's current capacity.

While an increase of 2.5% doesn't sound like an apocalyptic event, the aging infrastructure must be updated to handle that many EVs charging safely. The problem isn't the volume of power demanded per se. Instead, the problem occurs when EVs are concentrated in one area and are demanding power all at the same time.

What is the Solution?

Smart Grids must be designed with adaptable load management to prevent blackouts and meltdowns. This may require charging stations to manage their own auxiliary power stations to store power during off-hours so that it is available on demand instead of relying exclusively on the power grid to make it available when needed.

The savvy pioneers of EV charging stations will build their infrastructure with long-term power grid limitations in mind. Laws may be required to better regulate EV charging stations so that they do not cause a significant electricity shortage when necessary for other essential services.

Automated Demand Response (ADR) is one of the methods that power grids are already using to stretch their already taxed resources. The clearest example of how ADR works is by limiting residential power to homes during the summer months when the demand is the highest. In this manner, consumers are limited to a fair share of the limited electricity available and may have to go without creature comforts.

What Impact Will Other Factors Have On Reducing Electrical Demand?

Another way to limit the strains on our aging power grid infrastructure is the development of energy-efficient battery technologies and motors. An analogous form of energy saving may be achieved, in part, by automated fleets of vehicles. Fleet vehicles would be owned and maintained by a larger corporation to serve the personal transportation needs of the nation.

Drivers could demand a vehicle in the same way they'd pay for a taxi. Yet, they would have the option of driving the vehicle manually once it arrived. By creating a network of vehicles to ensure that a car is always available on-demand, Americans may find it cheaper and more convenient than having to pay the costs of maintenance and insurance on their vehicles. This is especially the case if those vehicles are underutilized.

Studies were conducted in Texas to determine how congestion and gridlock could be eliminated on the densely packed highways. Millions of dollars were spent to encourage Texans to carpool. Cables and sensors were integrated into the concrete highways to monitor the traffic patterns to find a solution. A lot of fuel and energy is being wasted because individuals are driving large cars and underutilizing the space available.

If consumers can work on solutions that maximize efficient transport by examining the macro factors, the changes incurred by the EV revolution will be of less concern. Public transport has failed as a solution because Americans find it uncomfortable to wait around for hours to hop on a bus and are further taxed by long train rides to unspecific destinations.

A large percentage of people who ride on public transportation are people who cannot afford a vehicle because they are mentally ill or addicted to drugs, making public transport dangerous. The problem of poor hygiene and behavioral health problems are not as pronounced in other nations where public transportation adoption has proven successful.

Conclusion

Electric vehicles have crossed the threshold of adoption and are here to stay. They are now reasonably priced and ubiquitous. The charging station infrastructure and battery pack limitations are no longer major burdens.

In the past, it was difficult to find a charging station or drive a comfortable distance without much downtime charging. These issues were once deal breakers that turned off consumers in the past and sustained the combustion engine's dominance.

The luminaries of our world need to sit down and discuss the issues and engineer solutions to lingering EV problems as we progress into a greener future.