Impact of Electrification of Transportation on the Grid

Let’s first deal with the myths surrounding EV’s. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a great, but simple guide to debunking most myths related to electric vehicles. As engineers and technical experts on everything energy related, the community at Energy Central should only deal in fact or opinion, not myths or deception. Make no mistake, the “oil economy” is not giving up easily in the fight to move from internal combustion to electric.

Here are the a few of the myths and the facts surrounding those myths:

Myth: Electric vehicles are worse for the climate than gasoline cars because of the power plant emissions.

Fact: Electric vehicles typically have a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline cars, even when accounting for the electricity used for charging.

Myth: Electric vehicles don’t have enough range to handle daily travel demands.

Fact: Electric vehicle range is more than enough for typical daily use in the U.S.

Myth: There is nowhere to charge.

Fact: Electric vehicles can be plugged into the same type of outlet as your toaster! When you need to charge while on the road, you’ll find over 45,000 stations in the U.S. available to the public.

Myth: Electric vehicles are worse for the climate than gasoline cars because of battery manufacturing.

Fact: The greenhouse gas emissions associated with an electric vehicle over its lifetime are typically lower than those from an average gasoline-powered vehicle, even when accounting for manufacturing.

You can access the complete guide here: https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths#Myth5

In short, EV’s are here and are going to become the dominant mode of transportation in the future. We have just dealt with a few of the myths around EV’S and now for an opinion, and please remember that this is my informed opinion, based on the facts we know about concerning the adoption of EV’s and its impact on our electrical system infrastructure.

Along with EV adoption, our electrical system infrastructure is undergoing several other significant changes over the next decade: on is the move to green energy generation and the other is the passage of the infrastructure bill that allocates billions of dollars to our industry. Taken together these factors are going to create the largest amount of change and disruption that we have ever seen, and the impact of each of these factors on the others cannot be oversimplified.

My first instinct is to “follow the money”. As dollars flow from the feds into the states, utilities will vie for funds in ways that accomplish three things:

1. The money must be seen to add value and strengthen the existing grid asset infrastructure. After all, that was the original intent of the bill
2. But at the same time, it must consider greenhouse gas issues, the reduction in dependence on fossil fuels, and the massive need for wind and solar generation, transmission and distribution.
3. Finally, what role will EV adoption play in both above factors? Does at home charging create a positive or negative impact on the grid?

One simple example of these issues as they play out is happening right now in Vermont Electric, in an interview with Chris Root, their COO, shared how the addition of wind and solar in an area not noted for rapid adoption of green generation, has changed their power distribution model substantially. Couple that with the adoption of thousands of “power walls” that have been placed throughout their customers’ homes, to be used as back-up power for those times when the sky is cloudy and the wind isn’t blowing, and also the ability to rapid charge EV’s, and you have an integrated model of all three factors mentioned above.

Henry Ford would be proud of his own company, I am sure, as they and every major manufacturer rapidly develop the next generation of EV’s. Exciting change is taking place within the Energy Central community and keeping abreast of and ahead of that change should be the goal of every member of our community.