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NETWORK / 25 / OCTOBER 2017 of challenges facing networks as they deal with increasing use of EVs. Frequency, timing and charging behaviour will be key factors in an electric vehicle future in which consumers and networks enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship, through, for exam- ple, vehicle-to-grid services. "EVs are currently used by people who try and take as much energy as they can when they charge, rather than the energy that they need," explains Thompson. "There is a tendency for people to take all the energy they can get when they are plugged in. The world we want to move to is one in which range anxiety is greatly reduced, and people only take what they need because there are preferential rates for doing so at certain times of day. That is a win-win for consumer and DNO." Opportu- nities for consumers include the potential to align demand with the time of day needs that the different network operators have. "In terms of providing energy back to the grid, vehicle-to-grid is also an exciting area." Innovate UK has just run a £20m funding competition to develop vehicle-to- grid technologies. "This is an area in terms of EVs that really captures people's imagina- tion," Thompson says, "and an opportunity for this whole domain to capture the imagi- nation of not only vehicle users – but help people understand the energy system. If people receive a message that says, 'because of the way you've consented to give vehicle- to-grid control, you have made money by selling energy to your your DSO to help ease network constraints' – that would be great." In terms of consumer behaviour, there is likely to be a spectrum of interest in selling vehicle-to-grid and other services, Thomp- son, who owns a Nissan Leaf himself, acknowledges. "We will also need a diver- sity of choice in terms of EVs and associated services, that cater to different people and different lifestyles. In terms of networks there will be some people who just want to plug in, and others who want to maximise their gain in terms of selling energy." The EV readiness manager Richard Hartshorn is EV readiness manager at Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks. He says that EVs are going to have an "iPhone moment" very shortly, in which the market explodes as never before, and in which there is a perfect combination of subsidies, incentives and customer expectation – and these all marry together. That will lead to much higher levels of uptake, he says. "The challenge for us is visibility; all DNOs have been using a model in which there is gradual change, and we can plan for that accordingly. As the EV markets start to change rapidly, moving into the DSO world gives us the opportunity to be far more flexible; instead of digging up a street and replacing a cable, or upgrading a transformer, we can do smarter stuff such as demand-side management. We can make the most of what is already there, while still giving customers the innovation and flexibility they are craving. "There will be some areas where smart solutions won't do the job – and we might have to go back to traditional reinforcement." But smart solutions are very exciting, Hartshorn says, – vehicle-to-grid especially. "As someone who works in industry but is also a customer, the potential is incredible. It would allow customers to access new markets. I think everyone in in- dustry can see the benefits of this, whether that is suppliers, aggregators, National Grid – and DSOs. It would allow us to balance supply and demand at a local level, which is where we see the issues. There might be some local generation that only outputs at a certain level and the network is at capacity, so we could procure a service via a third party and say, 'we would like the EVs in this area to absorb 'X' amount of energy'. That would keep the network within limits, and EV users might benefit from cheaper charging." It is difficult to predict how quickly the EV landscape in the UK will evolve, says Hartshorn. "We think there will be prime conditions in the early 2020s. All the manufacturers now are making announcements about offering new models with hybrid or battery powertrains. Gov- ernment subsidies and Low Emission Zones will have an impact. EVs will have increased range and speed to charge. "We can see all those factors coming together." The DSO Ian Cameron, head of innovation at UK Power Networks, says preparation to facilitate the uptake of EVs is a core part of the network's strategy. "The work that UK Power Networks is doing on EVs has been recognised by Innovate UK as very progres- sive." This includes a strategy that covers a number of areas: appropriate investment in policies and standards; delivering a good customer experience while expand- ing choice and convenience in terms of EV uptake; engaging and educating, as well as learning; and smart trials. "We want to make sure we are the network in the background facilitating the uptake of EVs," Cameron says. "Our role is a facilitator, but we need to share long-term and short-term plans with the EV community." In the future, he says, EVs will become 'mobile energy resources'. "We are used to managing static resources, where we can easily profile the outputs. Movable energy resources are dynamic, and active. Our network will require automated and active network management, right the way down to the low voltage level, to deal with resources that are on the move." As part of the next Network Innovation Competition, UK Power Networks is developing an autonomous low voltage and high voltage network, meshed together using power electronics, that can respond to different load or generation pro- files, Cameron explains. "Part of our DSO strategy is also to use customer flexibility as an alternative to upgrades to the network," he adds. This may involve the use of vehicle- to-grid as a key contributor to sustaining the network. "It is about getting out into the market, talking to the car manufacturers and the fleet operators and energy suppliers – we have a team dedicated to that. There needs to be better collaboration between all sectors and stakeholders."