Issue link: https://read.utilityweek.co.uk/i/665572
NETWORK / 35 / APRIL 2016 Number of EVs sold per year and percentage of new vehicle sales EV demand based on 1,000 EVs (13.5kW charging) Despite an increase in popularity in terms of vehicle numbers, EVs are far from oc- cupying a meaningful share of the car market, with 1% of new car sales in the UK in 2015. Other countries have used successful policies to better support EV growth. Source: EA Technology Increasing the availability of time-of-use tariffs is touted as a logical way to solve the problems that the introduction of low-carbon technologies such as electric vehicles could cause to power network operators. However, the findings of the Ofgem-funded My Electric Avenue project, conducted by Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution and EA Technology, suggest that such tariffs may not be the panacea some are hoping for. During the project, 220 customers used 3.5kW charging Nissan Leaf cars for a period of 18 months. Drivers were not told when to charge their cars to avoid influencing their behaviour. When charging patterns were reviewed it was evident that most charging was done in the even- ing – when people came home from work and in line with evening peak electricity demand. Yet less than 5% chose time-of-use tariffs. Dave Roberts, director of EA Technology's Smart Interventions business, speculates that "this is due to the significant price difference be- tween those powering their cars from electricity compared with filling up with gasoline. A standard electricity tariff is 20% of the equivalent cost of gasoline. Further savings can be made by switch- ing to off-peak tariffs, but it is marginal." There's hope however, that this might change as EV use becomes more mainstream. "As customers become accustomed to the price of charging their EVs," says Roberts, "we would ex- pect customers to shop around for better tariffs." Central to My Electic Avenue was a trial of a new technology for controlling EV charging at times of high demand on the grid. Its thought that this technology – called Espirit – could save DNOs £2.2 billion in reinforcement costs by 2050. However, its effectiveness will depend on col- laboration with automotive manufacturers. A key legacy of My Electric Avenue has therefore been the launch of the EV Network Group, a partner- ship of all six UK DNOs, EA Technology and automotive manufacturers Nissan, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin. A T I M E LY S O L U T I O N ? Time-of-use tariffs may not be the panacea to EV challenges that DNOs are hoping for. 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Vehicles 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0 Norway Netherlands France UK China Germany US Japan p35 graph 2.indd 1 01/04/2016 14:09 00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 00:00 EV demand based on 1000 EVs (13.5kw charging) - impact is larger for fewer customers Residential CV Total Diversified EV Demand (KW) 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 Time of day According to the Society Of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, more than 28,000 new plug-in vehicles were registered in the UK in 2015. The three most popular pure-electric cars on UK roads today are the Nissan Leaf (11,161), the Renault Zoe (3,424) and the Tesla Model S (2,161). DID YOU KNOW