A new Smart Charging Guide Summary aims to help decision makers on “how we charge electric vehicles”.

Electric Nation launches new guide on electric vehicle charging

Produced by Electric Nation – believed to be the world’s largest domestic smart charging trial – a four page summary is aimed at Government, the energy industry, the automotive industry, the EV charging sector, planning and other stakeholders.

The guide concludes that distribution network operators (DNOs) have a responsibility to provide a “safe and secure supply to all of their customers” and “are best placed to manage energy demand at a local level”, enabling all customers to fulfil their individual energy needs – including electric vehicle charging.

Additionally, standards must be created to ensure development and distribution of smart chargers for homes that could provide a solution to manage network load at peak times, when EVs become the norm. Consequently, Electric Nation foresee this would encourage electric vehicle up-take and reinforce the electricity networks for minimal cost.

The guide also provides background information for the eventuality of a national smart charging network – one of the points included in the Government’s ‘Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill’ and expected to be mandated.

The Electric Nation project says it has received some 3,000 enquiries from people wanting to take part in its 700-space smart charger project. To date, 500 home EV smart chargers have been installed under the project.

Certain electricity networks could require reinforcement, should clusters of EVs put strain on the local grid and Electric Nation is investigating whether smart charging could offer benefits in these circumstances.

A previous project, My Electric Avenue, modelled the impact of EV charging on England’s electricity distribution networks and estimated that one in three networks would not cope with more than 30-70% of cars being electric and charged at home. One possible solution proposed was for charging to be done outside of peak times, using smart chargers.

A copy of the full Smart Charging Guide can be requested, when available, by emailing: [email protected]