Electric car owners should avoid charging their vehicles at certain times of the day to reduce demand on the UK’s power grid, a Department of Transport minister has said.
Speaking at a forum hosted by Policy Connect on the future of electric vehicles in the UK, John Hayes MP said that as electric cars become more popular it will become more important to consider their impact on the UK’s power infrastructure, especially if motorists are drawn towards a particular time of day when it comes to recharging.
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The minister told those present “We know the demand for electric vehicles places the national grid under pressure. It’s critically important – we are working on this. It’s particularly important that we charge smart, so we flex demand and take advantage of spare capacity”.
He reaffirmed Government plans to vastly increase the number of public electric car charging points, but added that the “aesthetics of electric charging points should be taken as a major consideration”. The minister is considering launching a design competition for the next generation of charging points.
Stewart Reid of SSE notes the plan to have electric vehicle charging that works as a "plug in overnight" system. #FutureElectricVehicles
— DesignMfgGrp (@DesignMfgGrp) March 20, 2017
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According to energy firm SSE, most electric car owners recharge their cars immediately after work – during peak energy demand hours. Stewart Reid, head of asset management at SSE told those at the forum that the company wishes to see timed electric vehicle charging infrastructure that works as a “plug-in overnight” system, to reduce pressure on the UK power grid during peak ours and spread out demand.
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