Electric Vehicle Growth Cited as a Possible Power Grid Risk
Electric vehicle growth is inevitable, but according to a report just released by the Rocky Mountain Institute, over-saturation of electric vehicles could cripple the grid. This is an interesting conclusion, one that creates something of a puzzle for electric utilities charged (pun intended) with promoting EV expansion.
The Problem with Electric Vehicle Growth
For many utilities and municipalities, electric vehicle growth is a key component of their climate plans. For example, Seattle has a goal of 30% EV adoption in 10 years. This is a great objective for combating global warming, but the report points out that achieving this goal will require grid enhancements.
Simply put, the current state of the grid in Seattle and elsewhere is not equipped to handle the increased demand from EVs. Without taking steps to ready the grid for this new norm, an increased frequency of outages will be the likely result. Obviously not good news from an emergency preparedness perspective.
Examples of the readiness enhancements cited in the report include placing EV chargers on utility poles, placing them near areas known to have an above-average volume of ride-share activity, deploying ‘charging trailers’ to key locations, encouraging car-pooling, and implementing still-unknown technological advancements that may arise in the future.
Thus, on one hand electric vehicle growth can help stem the tide of climate change. But on the other hand, a substantial amount of infrastructure enhancements will be required, and I’m sure the price tag will be hefty. I for one, applaud the notion of EV expansion, but only if utility companies are willing and able to make the necessary investments to their grid infrastructure.
That’s a big “if” and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I do think there is a role for EVs in climate plans, but successfully navigating explosive electric vehicle growth will require a good amount of strategic foresight.
