Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1033088
NETWORK / 9 / OCTOBER 2018 Q. With the government set to ban the sale of all diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040, what infra- structure is required for the mass take-up of EVs? A. In general, I believe that a mix of solu- tions is needed to provide the affordable, reliable, accessible widespread infrastruc- ture users need for a mass EV market. Home charging and workplace charging will play a prominent role. If countries with the highest EV penetration like Norway are any indication, these two methods of charg - ing will remain the preferred ones. Public fast charging will serve custom- ers unable to charge at work or at home. There is no need for it to be particularly fast (e.g. no need to go above 7-22 kW), but much more important is the visibility of the charge points, the possibility of booking the service, the cost for charging, the enforce- ment of good drivers' behaviours (e.g. EVs not overstaying their charging session). Rapid charging hubs/networks will serve customers driving very high mileages (in and outside town),and reassure drivers that embark on long journeys. I believe all of the above are needed, all together: they serve different purposes, use modes and customers, and are not necessar- ily interchangeable. Q. Are the electricity and auto- motive sectors working together closely enough? A. I believe it will take some time for thorough collaborations to be established. In this direction, the Innovate UK V2G competition spurred collaborations across these two sectors, and it is an initial step in the right direction. At the moment, a physiological 'op- position' still exists, particularly between automotive companies and energy ones. AŒer all, each were 'making the rules' in their own sector, and working together requires adaptation and a certain degree of openness. But steps are being taken in the right direction. Q. What regulatory and technical barriers must be overcome to allow for the widespread adoption of EVs? A. From a technical point of view, custom- ers want to be reassured that they will have the same degree of freedom they enjoy with their vehicles today. Hence, longer range more convenient charging facilities. This in turn entails an added pressure on local networks and DNOs. Another technical barrier worth mention - ing is charging interoperability. In terms of regulation, additional incen- tives could be provided for EVs. There is the need to update the regulatory terms to allow EVs to participate into the flexibility markets. Q. Finally, what might the EV situa- tion look like in say 10 years time? A. By 2030 the government expects at least half of the new sales to be ultra low emis- sions: these might very well be all BEV. In fact, albeit the Road to Zero includes range extenders, PHEVs and hybrids as 'ultra low emission vehicles', customer evidence suggests that once people embark in the journey from ICE to PHEV to BEV, they have no intention of going back. Already demand is exceeding supply for BEVs, and I believe the government targets (while I still doubt the usefulness to give hard numbers in this context) are on point. I assume all EVs will be able to smart charge, and most of them could very well be compatible with V2G. Fleets will have a higher EV penetration, while the last ones to transition will be private drivers, if no incentives are put on scrapping old vehicles for EVs. very limited and V2G operation can be di- rectly covered by the manufacturer battery warranty. Finally, HW cost is still an issue, albeit not a technical barrier but rather depending on the economies of scale. V2G HW is set on the same path as HW for solar installation, and costs will come down with markets developing. Q. In what ways has Innovate UK been working with the network op- erators to help with the adoption of EV charging points? A. Network operators are crucial in support- ing EV charge point deployment, and the V2G competition was very well supported by them, involving directly Northern Power- grid, UKPN, Western Power Distribution. We also recently closed a competition to address two issues still hindering EV adop- tion: business users not transitioning to EV due to the disruption charging causes to the business (in this case, we targeted wireless charging technologies to embed charging in their normal working cycles) and residents not encouraged to transition to EVs due to lack of off-street parking and home charging facilities (in this case we launched a design challenge for new solutions to improve on charge points availability, dependability and fairness to all road users). Both of these have seen support from DNOs. Q. How should the sector be prepar- ing for the unknown future of EVs and V2G? A. I think the move from DNO to DSO is a crucial one: increasing evidence suggests that the part of the grid that will be under more stress from unmanaged EV charging is the distribution network. Recent research from ETI found that the network reinforcements needed to support EV growth would cost £17bn by 2050, if the vehicles are totally unmanaged in their charging operations. This cost could reduce by £8bn just by adopting smart charg - ing, and further still with V2G. Last year National Grid Future Energy Scenarios (FES) came under attack for suggesting that the peak load from EVs could go up to 30GW: while an extreme case (a more realistic one is between five and 18 GW), in their 2018 FES they adjusted their predictions assum - ing EVs will adopt smart charging and V2G. My impression is that, while the exact numbers (of EVs on the road, of the year of mass adoption, of the additional peaks for powering EVs) are uncertain, the sector is preparing at their best to address this monumental change in the transport sector. "I think the move from DNO to DSO is a crucial one: increasing evidence suggests that the part of the grid that will be under more stress from unmanaged EV charging is the distribution network." MARCO LANDI, INNOVATE UK