Electric Vehicles
Through our electric vehicle (EV) trials, we are aiming to better understand the charging patterns of EV users, including their load, the times and duration of charging periods and the demands this could place on electricity networks.
Why are we doing this?
Although EVs are energy efficient they are electricity intensive, which raises questions regarding the capability of the grid to support their uptake on a large scale. We need to plan, build and manage the electricity network to support this potentially disruptive new load, so are studying the charging patterns of hundreds of EV owners. We published datasets from trials with over one hundred North East EV owners. Further analysis is due to be published throughout the remainder of 2014.
Key Facts and Figures
What have we learned so far?
We are still gathering data for this trial. Durham University has been working with the transport group at Newcastle University to incorporate data from some of its EV studies into the CLNR trials, which are monitoring EV charging in the home. By combining the data, we are able to present a fuller picture of where electric vehicles are charging when they are not charging at home. Further analysis and reports on the effects of EV charging on local electricity networks will be published in 2014.
