New research has suggested that one third of low-voltage feeders _ equating to 312,000 circuits across the UK _ may not cope with a growth in the number of UK electric vehicles. My Electric Avenue carried out the study, and found that issues occurred when between 40-70 per cent of customers used EVs. (This was based on the 3.5Kw (16 AMP) charging).æ Networks susceptible to problems typically have an available capacity of less than 1.56Kw each week. In most cases, the findings would mean that underground cables would need to be replaced.æ However, My Electric Avenue have been trialling a lower cost solution to the issue, in the form of 'Espirit'. æThis is a technology which can control the charging of EVs when the local electricity grid reaches specified levels of demand. Incorporating Espirit into networks would mean the first real-life trial involving controlled domestic EV charging to prevent underground cables, substations and overhead lines from overload. Forecasts have suggested that overall, Espirit could save around £2.2 billion's worth of reinforcement costs between now and 2050.æ Car manufacturers and the energy industry would need to work closely together to meet that target. Stewart Reid, head of asset management and innovation at the Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution, said: 'There is a solution which is capable of helping us overcome these challenges before they affect our customers. 'With new vehicles due to place even greater demands on our networks, we are conscious of the need for both ourselves and the automotive industry to share our learning, challenges and innovations with one another. 'We are excited at this prospect, which will allow the decarbonisation of our respective industries to continue at pace.î My Electric Avenue was a three-year project funded by Ofgem designed to investigate the potential impact of EVs on electricity networking.ææ The project is now coming to a close and is disseminating its research.æ The aim is for other energy companies and car manufacturers to learn from the findings.
