The growing demand for EV charging stations is at pace with the unstoppable rise of EVs. So, how the grid energy will fulfill the highest ever energy demand in the coming days? We need to think of alternative energy sources to support the EV revolution before time runs out! EV charging stations will not be able to support everyone every time. So, we need to think about smart ways to produce energy.

One in 12 new cars sold in the UK last year required plug-in charging. The sales figure of electric vehicles was up by 3% across Europe last year and the overall sales figure of EVs sold globally tops 1million mark by the end of 2018.  Although it’s a small sales figure as compared to petrol and diesel cars on the road, it clearly shows that the trend of EVs is clearly on the rise. This is good news in the context of the global green agenda. It is particularly a promising development in the drive towards the net-zero emissions target because widespread adoption of EVs is seen as critical to its success.

Increasing Demand for EV Charging Stations

Let’s take the UK’s consideration alone to justify this

The UK Government aims to make non-fossil fuel cars hit the road by 2050. If this becomes true, then the UK will have 33million EVs on roads as early as possible. This aspiration is part of a wider plan to decrease air pollution, recapture productivity loss, improve public health and more. This will cost the UK’s economy around 2.7bn pounds every year.

If the government starts taking a bold step, then tens of millions of cars get straight away replaced. But the swap from pumps to plug-ins in the next two decades will bring a change as significant as when combustion engines first became mainstream. The popularity of EVs and autonomous vehicles will soon start dominating the mainstream market. And this will generate the demand for infrastructure to support the widespread adoption of EVs.

Availability of Power to Support EV Revolution

According to Nissan, there are more EV charging stations in the UK now than conventional fuel stations.  The data shows the UK has built around 9199 EV charging stations to date compared to 8396 fuel stations. This news comes as soon as the Govt. planned to make 40 million pounds investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Around 37million pounds have shared between 12projects which includes solar-powered forecourts, wireless charging, and underground charging systems. While this is all good news, one of the most pressing issues facing EV charging deployment at any scale is the availability of power.

The majority of existing electrical connections were specified to suit the needs and use cases at the time of construction. These are often unsuitable for significant increases in demand without potentially costly upgrades. Intelligent EV charging systems that can manage the total building load is suitable to a point, particularly where vehicles are parked for a  longer period. However, we’ll inevitably reach a stage where there simply is not enough energy available from the supply during a period of demand.

What’s the Holistic Approach to Energy then?

Part of the problem is that energy generation and distribution are both based on anachronistic centralized systems. But they don’t match up with modern embedded generation and consumption systems. The on-going capacity and design issues with many local and distribution-level electricity network assets mean that major updates will be required across most of the country soon.

The only viable solution to this problem is to think of new sustainable ways. Scientists should now focus on exploring solar power and battery storage alternatives for EVs. Why? Because solar power and battery storage products are abundant, flexible to scale and becoming cheaper year-on-year.  Technological advancements in the renewable energy sector have made solar panels and battery storage more efficient and cost-effective than ever before. Embedded solar and storage solutions can be implemented to mitigate expensive grid connection updates. This initiative will also promote the Go-Green thinking while becoming prime support for the extra power demand of EV charging stations.

Thus, a smart transport system can use distributed renewable energy to achieve carbon reduction ambitions. Therefore, solar power generation is proved the best solution because it’s sustainable and durable. It’s becoming clear both fiscally and practically that renewable energy can be the prime source for exploration that can navigate the world to clean air future. This will ultimately support the EV revolution in the upcoming days.

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