Britain Faces Blackouts Due To The Electric Car Revolution

An MP has warned that electric car drivers could cause blackouts if they charge their vehicles at ‘on peak’ times during the day.

The Commons Transport Select Committee said owners should be incentivised to recharge batteries ‘little but often’ to circumvent shortages.

Tory MP Huw Merriman, who chairs the committee, warned that the National Grid would need to be upgraded if it was going to cope with charging during the day, and he said that unless the National Grid gains more capacity, consumer behaviour would have to change so that charging could take place so that it could meet the additional demand.

The alternatives would, of course, be blackouts in parts of the country, and he said that we can’t have a repeat of the broadband and mobile ‘not spot’ lottery which would mean that those in remote parts of the country couldn’t join the electric vehicle revolution, and to help consumers see their way to a zero-emission society, choosing to run an electric vehicle must be as seamless as possible.

Electric car battery sizes range from about 17.6kWh up to 100kWh. The average cost of electricity per KWh is 17.2p meaning the smallest models cost about £3 to charge on a normal three-pronged domestic plug versus £17 for the largest ones.

The time taken to charge electric cars varies dramatically depending on the type of charger.

The Transport Committee argues that motorists should be persuaded to charge their vehicles at times when the National Grid can meet total demand, such as overnight.

During its inquiry, the committee heard evidence from the energy industry representatives that smart chargers, which alter the amount of electricity sent to a car, depending on overall demand, will play a significant role.

The report called on ministers to work with National Grid to identify areas where the system won’t be able to cope with extra usage.

It emphasised the importance of protecting consumers recharging in public from unnecessary fees and a requirement to hold multiple accounts.

The report said that the Government must mandate that industry uses prices as a lever to shift consumer behaviour away from conventional refuelling habits towards ‘a little but often’ approach.

During its inquiry, the committee heard evidence from the energy industry representatives that smart chargers, which alter the amount of electricity sent to a vehicle depending on overall demand, will play a significant role.

This is just as bad as scrapping gas boilers – the government and its green agenda seem to be living in the clouds, and this was all due to a lack of forward planning by successive governments, and all the additional demand for electricity to charge vehicles was always an obvious burden on the National Grid, but our government plugged along nonetheless, and it’s easy to make promises over carbon neutrality without any idea of how those pledges might be delivered – what a travesty.

And we can wave goodbye to more affordable overnight prices, as everyone will be charging their vehicles and devices at night.

Most things now run on electricity at night, from security systems, ring doorbells and mobile phones charging, all connected to energy-intense, 5g Smart grid, and can you just imagine if we were ever in a war!

They want electric lines over motorways to power lorries, which would mean transportation of goods would be finished by only a few simple attacks, and becoming too reliant on electricity could be our downfall, but then that does make you question if that’s what they want.