EVs Likely to Strain U.K.’s Electrical Grid for Decades

A surge in electric vehicles in the U.K. will challenge the performance of Britain’s electric grid between 2030 and 2050, warns the National Grid plc.

A study released today by the British utility giant predicts as many as 11 million electric and plug in hybrids could be on British roads by 2030, Bloomberg News reports. The analysis says that number could more than triple by 2040.

Only about 160,000 electrified vehicles ply British roads today. But the coming surge in electricity demand by EVs—and uncertainty about when owners will choose to charge their vehicles—will create an enormous strain on the ability of the grid to balance supply with demand, the report says.

National Grid figures the effect will build sharply from 2030, when electric vehicles become more common. The key to smoothing out peak demand will be to incentivize EV owners to charge their vehicles during off-peak hours. Advances in stationary storage systems, such as huge battery farms, also could help.

The report estimates that so-called smart charging systems could reduce the net growth in the peak generating capacity required by the U.K. to as little as 16%, or 8 gigawatts, by 2040, and about 13 gigawatts by 2046.