Work to ensure the UK is ‘EV-ready’ will require new ways of thinking for more remote areas without capacity for EV charging hubs.

Connected Energy’s E-Stor technology takes batteries from old electric Renault Kangoo vans and gives them a second life as energy storage

While grid capabilities are increasing in a bid to keep pace with electric vehicle adoption, the focus is largely on urban areas – and a new white paper warns that fleets investing in EVs risk falling foul of ‘charging deserts’ in harder-to-reach areas of the UK.

The guidance from battery energy storage system specialist Connected Energy says there are large parts of the UK without the grid capacity to support EV charging hubs at scale – such areas will need significant investment in infrastructure upgrades, which comes at a high cost and long lead times.

Matthew Lumsden, CEO of the business, warned: “Once you get out of urban areas, there is typically far less power available from the local grid. Upgrading the infrastructure can cost up to half a million pounds, which invalidates the business case for a lot of out-of-town EV charging hubs. We’re already seeing this issue arise up and down the country at motorway services.”

GeniePoint, one of the largest rapid charging networks in the UK, is exploring innovative ways to deliver charging infrastructure where grid capacity cannot easily support the energy demands of EV charging.

Simon Kendrew, marketing and commercial director – EV solutions of Equans, which owns GeniePoint, said: “One of the big agendas within EV is the ‘charging deserts’, or the availability of charging in some of the harder-to-reach places. There is typically a correlation between grid availability and charger availability in more remote areas.

“This is where we would see opportunities for more innovative energy solutions – a mixture of energy generation and storage capability on sites, to help manage these grid issues.”

Equans is exploring opportunities to use battery energy storage systems (BESS) such as Connected Energy’s E-Stor technology as a more cost-effective option than grid upgrades in areas where grid capacity is proving difficult.

Already showcased in a major new EV charging depot at Nottingham, E-Stor takes batteries from old electric Renault Kangoo vans and gives them a second life as energy storage. If a service station or truck stop only has a 40kW grid connection but wants to operate two 50kW chargers, E-Stor can bridge this gap. It can also work in tandem with on-site renewables such as solar PV arrays.

The technology is a key solution for fleets, depots and hubs whose available capacity falls below the amount required to power chargers – in particular the ultra-high-capacity charge points needed for larger vans or trucks.

Connected Energy is already working with fleet operators and charging hub providers to provide E-Stor systems supporting EV charging in both urban and rural areas – and its new white paper explains how battery energy storage can support EV charging demands.

The paper is free to download here.