EV owners receive free smart chargers as part of a research project

Electric vehicle owners taking part in the Electric Nation Project can now have a more powerful smart charger installed free of charge.

People who participate in the Electric Nation project, a research project to test the impact of EV charging on local electricity networks, can have the new chargers installed at no cost.

The use of electric vehicles (EV) is growing and there is now an increasing range of models to choose from which reduce emissions and running costs. The UK electric grid also has enough capacity to bring power to EVs.

However, if owners in local areas all charge their cars at peak times, some local networks might need reinforcing.

As a result of this, Electric Nation is trialling a smart charging solution which could interact with domestic charge points and local electricity networks to allow the numbers of electric vehicles in the UK to increase, whilst avoiding the cost and disruption involved in upgrading local electricity infrastructure.

The project, which is funded by Western Power Distribution (WPD) and Network Innovation Allowance, is looking for 500-700 people using EVs to take part in the trial, where they will get a smart charger installed.

Mark Dale, innovation and low carbon networks engineer for Western Power Distribution, said:
“Historically the automotive sector and the energy sector have not worked together. However, that needs to change due to the increased demand on local electricity networks from electric vehicles.

“The Electric Nation project shows that Western Power Distribution is taking the issue of the impact of EVs on electricity networks seriously, by trialling a solution to potential capacity challenges in the form of smart charging and demand control.”

Initially, the trial will take place in the WPD network areas in the Midlands, South West and South Wales.