According to a recent study dealing with power shortage concerns in the UK, there is no need to worry as there is ample power available to support a significant increase in the amount of plug-ins on the road.
The study was conducted by companies including Land Rover and Jaguar and was aimed at finding out about power issues in the UK. The research surrounds the grid's ability to supply power for the thousands to millions of plug-ins that will soon reach the market. Although the study is not concluded yet, they have discovered that the electrical grid in the UK is more than sufficient to handle a large increase in load and more plug-ins on the roads.
The study looked in depth at charging systems at homes and throughout the towns. They did find a few things in need of improvement. They suggest that some plug-in dense areas like major cities, may need additional power. But the country as a whole is set for the future of plug-ins.
The research looked at a worse case scenario (at least in terms of power usage) of adding 3 million electric vehicles on the roads. The 3 million vehicles, at least 8 years away according to most reports, would demand only a 2% increase in power output, a number that is well within the range of the grid. The largest increase in energy usage would be during night hours when most vehicles would be charging. The study shows no increase during daytime hours.
The UK and its electrical grid is ready for electric vehicles to become commonplace and hopefully this will come soon.
Source: Ricardo Company Automotive Consulting Group
