Proposals to ensure energy system is prepared for EVs

A new report by the Electric Vehicle (EV) Energy Taskforce taskforce has demonstrated that an effectively managed integration of electric vehicles with the energy system can significantly improve electricity network efficiency, increase system resilience and limit the requirement to build costly new infrastructure to meet growing electricity demand.

The Electric Vehicle (EV) Energy Taskforce was established in 2018 to make proposals to Government and industry to bring together the auto and energy sectors to ensure that the GB energy system is able to accelerate the mass take-up of electric vehicles while also delivering benefits to the electricity system.

The infrastructure spending required to prepare the UK electricity networks for the electric vehicle transition is likely to run to tens of £billions. However, the Taskforce believes this cost can be significantly reduced if the right decisions are made and the transition is effectively coordinated between government and key energy, infrastructure and transport industry stakeholders. A prior study put this figure at between £2.7bn and £6.5bn.

In its formal report to the Government, the Taskforce sets out a range of proposals to enable the efficient integration of electric vehicles with the energy system during the electrification transition. These include:

Providing financial incentives to EV drivers to ensure that the potential energy storage capacity of millions of electric vehicles is used to reduce peak demand;  

Prioritising greater standardisation across the charging network to ensure it works resiliently, efficiently and securely with the electricity system;

Establishing an independent body to promote the benefits of smart charging through a major publicity campaign to ensure EV drivers are confident and well informed;

Extending the principle of ‘open data’ in the energy system to include EV charge points and EVs to allow more effective smart charging of EVs;

Co-ordinating energy and transport planning to ensure we have the right infrastructure in the right place.

The Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce is believed to be the most wide-ranging collaboration between the UK’s energy and transport/mobility industries. The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership was asked to convene and facilitate the work of the Taskforce.