As long as you use your electric car it consumes more power for charging. And then the question arises whether the electric car will overload the power grid or not.
No, electric cars will not overload the power grid. Tucker Carlson, The popular host at fox news, picked up this issue in his show, and pointed out electric cars as a “new way to overburden California’s already collapsing energy grid.” California’s flex alert gave a point to electrical vehicle skeptics, and republican politicians the to question the democrats on the ban on gasoline vehicles.
Last month, Consumers were told to avoid the use of appliances, and turn off unnecessary lights, from 4 pm -9 pm, amidst the heat wave in California. The Independent system operator of California (ISO) called the flex alert on the power grid and extended it for the next consecutive day for conserving energy for the power grid.
A lot of them say that, if there is already pressure on the grid, how it will handle millions of electric vehicles while charging? The demand for energy will keep rising and what about the grid? While on the other hand, experts say they won’t actually overload the power grid.
We went through the various opinions and facts, to understand what is the actual truth. Will electric vehicles overload the power grid? Or they won’t? If they won’t overload the power grid then how? We discuss this stuff in this article.
What is the Issue?
Recently, Californians were told to keep their use of electricity under control for several hours in a couple of days, due to the heatwave impacting the power grid. The failure of the grid is the threat constantly talked about.
Apart from the heatwave, are the power grid and the infrastructure ready to handle the electric vehicles that are going to be on the road not only in California but in the whole nation, in the upcoming years?
Especially, it becomes a more valid question when the country is going to ban all combustion engine vehicles from 2030. On a wider spectrum, all those countries which are going to be fully electric on mobility, there has been concern about this.
Tucker Carlson’s Take on the Power Grid Overloading
Tucker Carlson and other electric vehicle skeptics have strong opinions that the grid even can’t handle the current energy demands, how would you expect to ban combustion engine vehicles?
Tucker took it in another direction, that the ruling people are not actually worried about the environment, and when every vehicle will be electric, if they want can shut down the grid and you can’t go anywhere.
Well, apart from political and skeptical views, Business Insider summarizes that whatever the tucker and republican politicians say, the power grid is not about to get overloaded by electric vehicles.
What does California Air Resource Board Say?
California is the most populated state in the united states. California Air Resources Board CARB has answered whether the power grid can handle all these electric cars, in the frequently asked question section. It says that today smaller electric vehicle population counts for less than 1% during the peak period, which is between 4 pm -9 pm.
Also, CARB says, “In 2030, 5.4 million light-duty electric vehicles and 193,000 medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles will only account for about 4.0% of total system electric load during the peak hours (4-9 pm).”
Other Opinions
In a blog post by Max Baumhefner, a senior attorney with the National Resources Defense Council states that the grid has a lot of excess capacity and electric vehicles can be charged at that time. When the demand for energy peaks, the electric vehicles don’t need to be charged at that time.
He compared the power grid to the oven. An oven is enough to cook the meal. And electric vehicles are like pumpkin pie, which can be baked once to free up the oven for other stuff.
Basically, it means that charging electric vehicles when there is no peak demand for energy won’t overload the grid. And electric vehicles contribute to only 0.4% of the load, which means “Saying they’re what’s straining the grid ignores 99.6% of today’s challenge” he said.
How much does the Power Grid gets Impacted by Electric Vehicles?
Currently, electric vehicles contribute to less than 1% (precisely 0.4%) of the total system electricity load, during peak hours. While there will be 5.4 million electric vehicles, in 2030, they will account for 4% of the total electricity load on the power grid. This is according to the CARB.
After peak hours the power grid has much more capacity to charge electric vehicles. Currently, there are millions of electric vehicles in California only.
Is the Current Electrical Infrastructure Ready to Adopt Electric Vehicles?
The power Grid is part of the infrastructure of electricity. Obviously, the increase in the number of vehicles is going to add additional demand for electric vehicles. We need to build a robust infrastructure for that, experts say.
The need for a more robust energy generation is getting highlighted by various studies. Not much old, a brattle group study, in 2020, estimates that “20 million light-duty EVs on US roads by 2030 will require a $45 to $75 billion investment in more robust energy generation, distribution, and storage”.
The fact cannot be denied that there will be a more increasing demand for energy worldwide, in the upcoming years. The infrastructure needs to be more stable and the regularities should be there, wherever now there are still some gaps. In our previous article, we discussed in detail how the charging networks are irregularly placed, and how it is a challenge for big states like California.
The United States energy demand will increase by 1% to 2% annually by electric car adoption, as per the projection by The Rocky Mountain Institute, a sustainability-research group.
The increase in energy demand is not so alarming, there is a need for a robust power grid, experts conclude.
Why Power Grid gets Overloaded?
There are several reasons why the power grid can overload a nation. All these reasons conclude with one single factor there is intense demand for energy than the power grid can provide. The increased demand may be due to the extra use of electric appliances, maybe by the factories and industries. Or the reduced resources to produce electricity can also make the demand and supply of energy unstable.
There are peak hours in several states of the nation, where consumers are urged to stop their use of electricity to some extent. This includes turning off air conditioners, unused lights, lamps, electric fans, etc. A recent example is California, where the peak hours are between 4 to 9 pm.
Last month, Consumers were told to avoid the use of appliances, and turn off unnecessary lights, from 4 pm -9 pm, amidst the heat wave in California. The Independent system operator of California (ISO) called the flex alert and extended it for the next consecutive day for conserving energy for the power grid.
So everything comes down to one point, the excess energy demand more than the power grid capacity, which can make the power grid overload.
Series of Power Shut-offs Over the Years
The power-offs and blackouts are not for the first time. There is a history to it. Here is the table which shows how the continuous blackout took place and affected the people in the past. In October 2019, consumers continuously faced a series of blackouts and millions of people got affected in several regions of the state.
| Date | Place | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| October 4, 2019 | San Diego County | Power Shut-off by San Diego Gas & Electric, to around 400 customers in eastern San Diego County |
| October 9, 2019 | Several Regions | PG&E started power shut-offs in many regions, as a measure to avoid the wildfires that can be caused by electric lines. Power off of the electric lines spread throughout 25000 miles was expected to affect 2 million people. |
| October 10, 2019 | Several Regions | SCE shuts off the power for the 13000 customers. |
| October 22, 2019 | Several Regions | PG&E warned about the potential second-round possibility of power shut off as a preemptive measure, which could affect over 500,000 customers. |
| October 25, 2019 | San Diego county | San Diego Gas & Electric did power off to 19,000 households, possibly rising up to 50,000. The reason was a combination of high winds, high temperatures, and dry conditions. |
| October 26-27, 2019 | Northern California | PG&E announced to shut down power for 940,000 customers in Northern California, around 1 million customers and 3,000,000 individuals affected. |
| October 28, 2019 | Southern California | shut off power to 25,000 customers and conducted notifications for up to 350,000 more in 10 counties around the greater Los Angeles area. |
| November 20, 2019 | Northern California | PG&E shut off power to approximately 450,000 individuals in Northern California |
The reasons, if compiled, there were most of the power-offs, because of the risk of causing fires. While some reasons were a combination of high winds, high temperature, and dry conditions. There are several other reports of such power-offs.
Enron Scandal
Enron Corporation, American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas, led to bankruptcy after lots of money games. The corporation was involved in manipulating the energy market and earning money from both sides, traders and consumers. Enron corporation took advantage of the partial deregulation of the energy market. The Enron corporation manipulated the prices of energy.
“In the final analysis, it doesn’t matter what you crazy people in California do, because I got smart guys who can always figure out how to make money.” This was the statement made by Kenneth lay in 2000.
They took advantage of several things to make money. They constantly shifted prices of the market in their favor. It is one of the most highly complicated accounting scandals in the world. This caused the energy crisis.
What is causing California’s Power Grid to Collapse?
Californians have faced continuous blackouts and once again the authorities asked consumers to reduce the use of electrical appliances. The ongoing heat wave is said to be a culprit for all this by the authorities. But there are several reasons for California’s collapsing grid.
The Heatwave
The consistent hot temperature and less wind because of the heatwave is something that can be said to be the reason for collapsing grid. The heatwave causes low energy generation from wind. Due to consistent heatwaves and shortage of energy, with the continuously rising demand for energy causes the grid to collapse. There are several power plants have been closed, and thus there is a shortage of energy in the state.
Infrastructure
The Infrastructure of the power grid can be considered the backbone of the whole energy dynamics. Obviously the stronger the infrastructure, the more stability the grid. “ In a majority of North America, the electrical grid, as well as roads, bridges, water and wastewater systems, airports, and virtually any other piece of infrastructure, was largely built in the post-war boom following World War II and then essentially left to rot over the following decades,” Hackaday says in its report.
The current power grid can handle 5 million electric vehicles. We need more robust power grids and thus stronger infrastructure. The current infrastructure has capacity but it should be maintained well. The infrastructure is not able to handle the demand and thus weaker infrastructure can be said a reason for the blackouts in California.
Less energy production
There are several power plants closed down in the state, including major hydroelectric power plants. Also the less wind, heat waves, etc. Causing energy production to be much lower, and causing blackouts.
So the major reasons for the collapsing power grid are less energy production, heatwaves, and infrastructure-related problems. But electric vehicles are not one of them.
How Electric Vehicles won’t Overload the Power Grid?
Do electric vehicle skeptics doubt whether the power grid will be able to handle all the millions of electric vehicles coming? And the question is obvious and there is not one firm opinion from experts on this topic.
Though the majority of them agree that electric vehicles won’t overload the power grid and if does, it is not something that the grid hasn’t experienced before. And They give several reasons why electric vehicles won’t overload the power grid. Here are the 4 reasons why electric vehicles won’t overload the power grid.
- Electric vehicles already contribute less to the load
As the reports said, electric vehicles contribute to less than 1 percent of the load on the power grid. Considering this 0.4% of the load responsible for the overload of the grid is more like ignoring the other 99.6% of the reasons.
Also, CARB says, “In 2030, 5.4 million-duty electric vehicles and 193,000 medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles will only account for about 4.0% of total system electric load during the peak hours (4-9 pm).”
Electric vehicles are coming as the various states in the nation are going to ban the sales of new internal combustion vehicles by 2030. Also, European countries are also about to ban diesel and petrol vehicles by 2035. This is part of the net zero emission goal by 2050.
The power grid will overload when there will be more energy demand than the power grid capacity. But the data and experts say and estimate that they will not affect a higher percentage, so there are rare chances that electric cars overload the power grid. Absolutely electric vehicles will rise and they will increase energy demands, but still, they contribute to much less percent than the other factors, experts say.
- Charging electric vehicles at the right time
Though electric cars don’t impose much load on the power grid, there is more to come on why electric cars won’t overload the power grid.
On average the electric vehicles will be charged overnight, or when the vehicles will be at rest. The public charging stations will be available 24 by 7, and people could charge electric vehicles from there. The charging would take a minimum of 15-20 minutes for fast chargers.
Now coming to the power grid, the peak hours will be when there will be less energy generation and more demand. The electric vehicles could be charged at the time when the grid is not under load. In the daytime, solar power generation can maintain the grid stable. The vehicles can be charged at that time. Also when charging overnight, electric vehicles will be charged when most of the appliances will be not in use.
So by smartly planning the charging times, the load on the power grid can be managed. And in the future the charging times can be managed more smartly, also customers can save the cost of charging during peak hours. Thus electric cars aren’t likely to make any effect on the grid.
- Electric cars can actually provide power to the grid when demand is high
Electric cars consume energy to charge. But there is something more it does. It has a battery, which can store energy. In the peak hours, when there is stress on the power grid, these electric vehicles can give the stored energy to the grid. This concept is famously called vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
Electric vehicles can be considered as the batteries on the wheels which have the energy for the power grid. This is said to be the reason why electric vehicles will not overload the power grid, can actually help the power grid, and can prevent the grid from collapsing.
A study found that just “programming vehicles to charge when there is spare capacity could save costs of $1.5 billion for stationary batteries.”, said MAX BAUMHEFNER, senior attorney at the climate & clean energy program. Also, the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, can save $13-15 billion in stationary battery costs.
These numbers are not small. Those who are on the side of electric vehicles, consider the vehicle to grid technology as an advantage for electric vehicles. Thus electric cars can support the power grid.
What is Vehicle to Grid Technology?
Vehicle-to-grid technology involves drawing unused power from the car into the smart grid. Electric vehicles can be used as the power source when they will plug into the smart grid. The grid can withdraw power from the vehicle and thus can be helpful when there is a load on the grid.
Electric vehicles can be considered as the batteries on the wheels which have the energy for the power grid. This is said to be the reason why electric vehicles will not overload the power grid, can actually help the power grid, and can prevent the grid from collapsing. The vehicle-to-grid technology is also called Vehicle Grid Integration as it integrated vehicles into the smart grid.
- By using electric cars more
The regular use of electric vehicles can make the electric infrastructure more robust. As electric vehicles become more and more common the infrastructure and grid will get used to them.
A battle group study, in 2020, estimates that “20 million light-duty EVs on US roads by 2030 will require a $45 to $75 billion investment in more robust energy generation, distribution, and storage”. As these investments will start the formation of robust energy generation and storage, the chances of electric vehicles overloading the power grid will be minimized.
The smart charging system can be an option where the electric vehicles will be knowing when to charge and when to not. The unstable power grid can become stable as the improvements happen and the infrastructure becomes more and more strong.
These are the 4 reasons which conclude that how electric vehicles will not overload the power grid.
Conclusion
Amidst the blackouts in California, questions are being raised by electric vehicle skeptics on the government’s new gas vehicles ban. The argument is that electric vehicles will cause more energy imbalance on an already collapsing grid. Though there are split opinions on the ability of the rising electric vehicles to overload the power grids, the majority of the experts say they will not overload it.
The power grid can handle much more electric vehicles without affecting their performance. Electric vehicles contribute to very less load on the total energy consumption of the grid. There is strong reasoning for how electric vehicles will not overload the electric vehicle grid. There are ways such as smart chargers, managing charging times and prices, etc. Which can sustain the electric vehicles as well as the power grid in proper function.
FAQs:
Will Electric Cars Overwhelm the US Grid?
Electric vehicles will not overwhelm the electric grid. The energy demand from electric vehicles will increase in the future, but it’s not something that is going to overwhelm the power grid.
In California, electric vehicles contribute to only 0.4% of the load on the energy grid. There will be more than 5 million electric vehicles on the road in 2030, still, electric vehicles will be responsible for 4% of the power grid load. But the fact cannot be denied that there is a need for a robust power grid in the US.
Do We Need more Power to Charge all the Cars?
Currently, we don’t need more power to charge all the cars. There will be increased energy needs in the future but it’s not such an alarming need. The same power grid can be improved and the smart charging methods can charge all the cars with the same grid. The grid can charge millions of cars without any overload. The smart charging times will prevent the grid from overload.
How Many Electric Vehicles can the California Grid Handle?
California’s grid can handle 5 million electric vehicles. California currently has 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on the road. In future, the number of electric vehicles will be raised to 5.4 million, and the capacity of the grid will be increased.
How will Electric Vehicles Impact the Power System?
Electric vehicles impact the power system in many ways. Electric vehicles contribute to only 0.4% of the load on the energy grid. There will be more than 5 million electric vehicles on the road in 2030, California. Still, electric vehicles will be responsible for 4% of the power grid load.
They can also be proven beneficial rather than just consuming energy. Electric vehicles can provide energy to the grid in high need by the Vehicle grid technology through their batteries.
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