Tucker Carlson and some Republican politicians say that battery-powered cars aren't going to overload the electrical grid.
California's utility urged customers to conserve power during a heat wave by not charging their cars during certain hours. If the state couldn't handle the number of EV's on the road, how would it ban the sale of combustion-engine cars?
Carlson bashed electric cars as a way to overburden California's collapsing energy grid.
Experts disagree on energy and transportation.
A more robust grid and smarter charging habits will be required if more electric cars plug in. There's no reason to be alarmed. There will be a lot of electricity.
Someday, the grid may be strengthened and more resilient by the use of electric vehicles.
During peak hours, California has more electric cars than any other state. Electric cars, trucks, and vans make up only 4% of peak loads.
Max Baumhefner is a senior attorney with the National Resources Defense Council.
Americans keep their cars for an average of 12 years, so it will be awhile before the US fleet changes.
As a result of electric-car adoption, the total US energy demand is projected to grow 1% to 2% annually. The group said that it is comparable to the increases utilities saw during the energy-consumption boom of the 20th century.
Load growth is something that some utilities haven't had to deal with for a while, but it's generally well within the range of what utilities can plan and manage for.
The grid will need to be upgraded to handle the additional load. According to a 2020 study from the Brattle Group, 20 million light-duty EV on US roads by 2030.
A typical electric car can be parked for 23 hours out of the day if it needs to keep food cold. It gives a lot of flexibility when they are charged.
Peak grid stress can be reduced by shifting charging times that are most beneficial to the grid, such as overnight when demand is low or during the day when solar generation is high.
Nick Nigro, the founder of Atlas Public Policy, said that they can do a lot with the grid.
The recent heat wave in California is proof that managed charging works.
"We need to build an extremely robust grid if drivers continue to charge whenever they feel like it," Preindl said. He said smart-grid technology that instructs vehicles when to charge could do wonders for managing peak loads. Smart-charging programs are not common yet.
Encouraging people to charge during the day could save Western states billions of dollars on energy-storage investments. Increased solar generation requires batteries to store electricity for nighttime use, but daytime charging reduces that need.
There is a future where electric vehicles can strengthen power grids. V2G technology would transform plugged-in electric cars into a distributed battery system that could be used to store electricity for emergencies or times of excessive demand.
Car companies are experimenting with adjacent technologies. A home can be powered up for up to three days with the help of the Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck.
If all cars are electric, the amount of energy storage we have access to is huge.
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