revolution
r?v??lu??(?)n/
noun
- a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
I think it is now acceptable to refer to the exponential rise in the number of EVs as being indicative of the start of a technological and cultural revolution, yearly increases in the numbers of EVs on GB's roads of 109%, 63%, 304%, and 95% show that they can no longer be considered a fad, or some kind of technological/eco-friendly cause supported by tech-savvy environmentalists; they are becoming a genuine option to lease or buy for ever-greater numbers of drivers.
Our last blog highlighted how our Smart EV project is looking to help create a standard for managed electric vehicle (EV) charging, and how collaboration between the electricity and automotive industries was crucial to supporting the EV revolution. My Electric Avenue, our previous EV project, recognised the requirement for cross-sector collaboration, with the number of projects and initiatives taking place across both industries signalling the need to look outside of our innovation programme when considering how to increase EV uptake whilst still protecting the networks they are powered from.
And so the EV Network Group was conceived. Founded by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) and EA Technology (our delivery partner on a number of innovation projects), the Group is tasked with bringing together key representatives from across the industries to ensure that the uptake in EVs neither negatively affects, nor is affected by, the electricity networks, coordinating activities in order to reduce risks and boost synergies. It is also helping ensure that customer views are represented, helping find the best solutions to recommend for deployment.
The group is sure to maximise the opportunities from EVs thanks to its members such as: ourselves; the government's Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV); the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT); Ofgem; the Energy Networks Association (ENA); the AA; Citizens Advice; Energy UK; Innovate UK; BEAMA; Transport for London; the Institution of Engineering and Technology; and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. We are excited about how the Group can help create the best solutions for everyone involved.
The future is an exciting landscape, likely to be filled with a mixture of new technologies, new commercial structures, and new ways of customers and networks interacting with third parties. There's a whole range of innovation bodies supporting research into what these new elements may look like, with some supporting innovations with a low level of technology readiness (unfairly labelled as 'pie in the sky' thinking by some) and others supporting those that are much closer to being rolled out in business as usual and just need to be tested at scale to iron out those last few creases.
It is always difficult to predict what we expect the future to look like, but with a little bit of horizon-scanning (as opposed to crystal-ball-gazing) I'll sum up some of our thoughts on what the energy/transport scenario may resemble.
We foresee the accurate forecasting of pinch-points on networks from EV charging, and the smart management of the networks to remove potential issues, carried out using intelligent tools such as those developed within our Thames Valley Vision project. Properties will become connected to a range of systems, allowing customers to have a wealth of choice that will provide opportunities to ensure networks don't overload, and earn money from responding to Demand Side Response signals. The use of storage and solar PV will help customers and the wider network manage energy in a more efficient way, with in-home smart hubs letting customers choose whether to automate or manually control their devices and electricity consumption, and what load to turn down/off when the grid is under stress (whether it be a cooker, TV or EV) or switch to drawing power from a battery they charged earlier (possibly via their solar panels).
We see Demand Side Response changing demand patterns across all customer types creating new challenges, but also opportunities, with Vehicle to Grid (V2G) playing a prominent role in grid flexibility and the markets that opens up. With this in mind we see train stations, public car parks, office car parks and fleets of vehicles all connecting to the grid to create virtual power plants, acting as giant batteries. We also feel that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) will eventually become a stalwart of the transport sector, and create a different dynamic for decarbonised transport and the ways in which electricity networks need to manage those demands.
There will be numerous opportunities for the electricity and transport industries to coordinate for the benefit of everyone involved, especially customers, and whilst we won't predict who will own or operate or even be allowed to participate in the schemes mentioned above, we're sure it doesn't detract from the fact there are some incredible opportunities to revolutionise the way we all use energy, whether that's in our homes and businesses or in our means of transport.
Of course there are hundreds more scenarios that could be explored, but this is a blog and not a novel, so in future blogs we'll look to bring you insights from some of our project partners and other key organisations involved in the energy and EV market, helping to share some of their visions for this exciting area.