ETI Insights Report - Smarter Charging a UK Transition to Low Carbon Vehicles: Full Report

Abstract:

This report therefore considers what a 2030 world would look like for PiV ( plug-in electric vehicles) purchase and use to be at the levels foreseen in typical scenarios, where it would be possible to end the sale of pure fossil fuel vehicles by 2040 or earlier. It discusses the challenge – how to design and operate the energy system to make that possible. This report discusses three key questions: The nature of the driver experience and the levels of service that could be provided by innovative use of modern internet technologies and infrastructure. The kinds of public and private charging infrastructure that will be required and what this might mean for charging points in different locations, including the network upgrades required to support them. The integration and operation of the whole system including charging management, the effective carbon intensity of the added electricity load, and the impact on networks and the economics of generation. This report highlights these key points: PiVs are attractive to the majority of UK drivers, provided they cost the same (over a 4 year period) as current cars, have sufficient range, and recharging is straightforward and cost-effective Drivers interpret effective range in terms of journeys that they take, rather than a nominal drive cycle. There are clues in the trial results that support an alternative model, with more limited BEV range but widespread access to very rapid charging, and battery technologies that can withstand this. Unmanaged charging by mass-market drivers peaks at the same time as current electricity demand, with potentially serious consequences for UK infrastructure. High levels of conversion of fossil fuel miles to electricity by 2030 will require uptake amongst the two-thirds of drivers who currently drive between 5,000 and 25,000 miles per year. The CVEI project collected very detailed10 journey and charging data from 127 BEV and 121 PHEV drivers whose journeys, age and gender distribution, and geographic locations are a very good match to the core two-thirds of drivers; each driver had the car for 8 weeks. CVEI participants with a PHEV on average drove a modest number of miles on electricity, even less than company car fleet PHEV drivers achieve on average, although many achieved a high fraction of electric miles. More than half of all new cars are currently bought by fleets. ETI deliberately chose to study mass market drivers, since they are critical to 2025 and 2030 targets.

Publication Year:

2019

Publisher:

ETI

DOI:

No DOI minted

Author(s):

Haslett, A.