Electric vehicle critics reportedly had a field day last month when a California utility asked consumers to save power during a severe heat wave. Owners of EVs are asked to refrain from charging their cars at specific times, according to AutoBlog.
According to Washington Times, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) made the request just days after the state passed regulations that will ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles beginning in 2035.
The report also indicated power operators’ theory that cutting back on consumption from 4 to 9 p.m. during peak times will prevent the need for drastic measures like rotating outages.
In response, some conservatives criticized how the state could expect to ban selling cars with combustion engines by 2035 if it struggles to handle the volume of EVs already on the road.
Carlson even slammed electric vehicles as a “new way to overburden California’s already collapsing energy grid” on his Fox News program.
However, experts in energy and transportation disagree. Energy demands are expected to eventually rise as more electric cars plug in. That said, a more reliable grid and wiser charging habits will be essential.
Nevertheless, there is no urgent need for concern as there will be sufficient electricity to circulate with good planning, as per the report.
Contrary to what Tucker Carlson and some Republican politicians claim, the US electrical grid would not be “overwhelmed” by battery-powered vehicles like Teslas, Fords, and Volkswagens.
EVs aren’t a big power suck
The report indicated that California only accounts for 4% of all energy use during peak hours despite the country having the highest percentage of electric vehicles than other states.
Likewise, only 4% of peak loads would be made up of the estimated 5.6 million electric cars, trucks, and vans by 2030.
In a recent blog post, Max Baumhefner, a senior attorney with the National Resources Defense Council, said, “Saying they’re what’s straining the grid ignores 99.6% of today’s challenge.”
Furthermore, the average car ownership time in America is 12 years despite an increase in electric vehicle sales. The adoption of electric vehicles is expected to increase the total US energy demand by 1% to 2% annually, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, a sustainability research organization.
It is apparently similar to the increases in utilities experienced during the energy consumption boom of the 20th century when refrigeration and air conditioning were widely used. “Load growth is something that some utilities haven’t had to deal with for a while, but it’s generally well within the range of what utilities can plan and manage for,” Chaz Teplin, a principal at RMI, said.
However, experts predict that grid enhancements will be required to handle the increased load. Twenty million light-duty EVs on US roads by 2030 will necessitate a $45 to $75 billion investment in more reliable energy generation, distribution, and storage, according to 2020 research from the Brattle Group.
EVs are uniquely flexible
Even with steadily increasing demand from EVs, adjusting charging to times that are most favorable to the grid can significantly lower peak grid stress, according to experts.
Nick Nigro, the founder of Atlas Public Policy states, “For the foreseeable future, we can do a lot with the grid we already have.
Meanwhile, recent heat waves in California are indications that regulated charging is effective, as per RMI. As a result of behavioral changes, the state was relieved from blackouts.
According to Matthias Preindl, an electrical engineering professor at Columbia University, if drivers do not regulate their charging habits, “then it means we need to build an extremely robust grid.”
In fact, promoting daytime charging might help Western governments avoid spending billions on energy storage projects based on a recent study of the 2035 EV ecosystem. Notably, batteries will be needed to store electricity for use at night as solar generation increases, while daytime charging reduces that demand.
EVs can support the grid
If utilized wisely, some experts think EVs will eventually strengthen electricity systems. With vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, plugged-in electric vehicles would become a decentralized battery system.
In fact, it could potentially assist utilities in storing electricity for unexpected situations or periods of high demand.
For instance, a household can be powered for up to three days using a backup generator, such as the Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck.
Preindl believes that V2G will be essential for storing wind and solar energy and converting the US to renewable energy sources. He claims, “If all cars are electric, the amount of energy storage we have access to is huge.”
