As electric car use surges, the national grid is at risk of being overloaded unless action is taken now Exclusive: Sales of zero-emission vehicles are set to explode in the next two years

The UK is unprepared for the expected surge in demand for power from the electric car revolution and could face blackouts and power cuts unless action is taken now, an official report warns.

Sales of zero-emission and hybrid vehicles are expected to explode in the next two years, with more than 72,000 registrations last year, a figure predicted to break through the 100,000 mark by 2021. Ministers pledged to phase out all petrol and diesel cars by 2040, fuelling a spike in interest.

Yet a report by the government-commissioned Electric Vehicles Energy Task Force says growing demand on electricity supplies caused by this increase needs to be properly managed by ministers and industry or else the national grid will be unable to cope.

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It warns that growth in electric car use, together with greater reliance on heat fuelled by electricity, means the national grid needs to have the capacity to deal with increased demand over the next decade.

Lost supply

Unless a system of “smart charging” is introduced and properly managed – where cars are charged at periods of lower demand on the system throughout the day – there could be a failure of electricity generators.

Last August nearly a million people lost electricity supply after generators failed at the same time.

The report says: “The electricity system must be able to respond to changes in demand, as well as unexpected generation and network faults, in real time…

“It means that the electricity produced by generators, or supplied from storage devices, must exactly balance the demand for electricity on a second-by-second basis … If this balance is not maintained the system can fail.

“In August 2019, unexpected generation faults occurred simultaneously creating such an imbalance. This triggered emergency actions causing nearly a million consumers to lose their electricity supply, whilst a wider loss of supply was averted. This is a challenge that is met in operational timescales by the energy system operator (ESO).”

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Potential risk

The report also says it is “yet to be seen how the charging of EVs will develop”, but that it is “possible that EV owners will allow a third party to manage the charging of their vehicles if this provides benefits to them”.

Under this scenario, the report adds, there is also a potential risk of power cuts: “It is possible that a chargepoint operator, electricity supplier or aggregator could have control over very large numbers of chargepoints.

“This presents a potential risk. If the chargepoint operator changes the charging rates of too many EVs too quickly the electricity system may not be able to respond fast enough. In this event, protection systems would react, and electricity supplies could be lost as they were in August 2019.”

Doug Parr, chief scientist and policy director at Greenpeace, said: “The Task Force shows there is scope for electric vehicles to be both problem and opportunity for ‘keeping the lights on’.

“First, the UK will need lots more clean renewable power to supply new EVs. Secondly, if we get the grid management wrong it could lead to power cuts. Much better, and definitely within our grasp, is to make our electricity grid and electric vehicle chargers ‘smart’, so that vehicle batteries actually make the grid more resilient than before.

“Getting this to happen is not glamorous or eye-catching work, but to realise the jobs, economy and climate benefits that electric vehicles offer means ministers must provide the resources to policy delivery, get the remit of Ofgem right, and ensure citizens understand how they can make their cars part of this clean new system.”

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: “The recent growth in electric vehicles shows there is appetite for these exciting technologies. Industry is investing heavily to provide more choice but, to really drive uptake, this must be supported by a long-term commitment to incentives and infrastructure.”

Minister for the Future of Transport George Freeman said: “We are 100 per cent committed to decarbonising the UK’s road network … This report provides important evidence to shape the next stage of our Road to Zero roadmap.”

UK must prepare for electric car revolution

Averting major power cuts through increased electric car use will depend on greater use of smart charging and vehicle-to-grid technology, say experts.

Smart charging helps manage demand on the system by distributing power to different points throughout the day, and if it is fuelled by electricity generated by renewable energy, can use increased supply from sun and wind power at certain times to cope with demand.

At the moment, many electric car owners have at-home charging, meaning if the majority of drivers plugged in during early evenings after work, there would be too much demand at the same time.

But under smart charging, drivers can be encouraged to plug in outside of peak times by being offered cheaper rates.

In December, the National Grid Electricity System Operator reported that high winds led to the record for the amount of electricity generated by wind power, which led to a surplus and “negative pricing” – where consumers were paid to use electricity.

Fintan Slye, director of National Grid ESO, said: “Smart charging and vehicle to grid technology means we can use renewable energy more efficiently, charging when the sun shines or the wind blows and potentially discharging back to the grid at times of peak demand.”