EVs are a highly modifyable variable load, as the vast majority personal vehicles sit idle nearly the whole day. When a fraction of those can be directed to charge based on grid needs, it becomes a net-asset for stability.
In Ontario, just the half-assed time-of-use pricing and small numbers of EVs in the fleet are likely contributing to the more more stable load over night. They used to have so much Nuclear surplus they were selling to NYC overnight at negative pricing on a regular basis.
My smart thermostat already has a capability of letting the power company make adjustments as needed to stabilize the grid. Is it really so hard to imagine the same functionality for EV charging?
Sometimes override the thermostat, because my house needs to be comfortable for occupants. But I can plug in my EV when I get home, and it has 12 hours to charge. On a typical day it might need two hours and I have no reason to care as long as it completes by morning
Also, home batteries and battery storage at public chargers can dampen the “shock” that the grid might face since it’ll deliver power from the local storage that will then recharge at a constant rate from the grid
EVs are a highly modifyable variable load, as the vast majority personal vehicles sit idle nearly the whole day. When a fraction of those can be directed to charge based on grid needs, it becomes a net-asset for stability.
In Ontario, just the half-assed time-of-use pricing and small numbers of EVs in the fleet are likely contributing to the more more stable load over night. They used to have so much Nuclear surplus they were selling to NYC overnight at negative pricing on a regular basis.
My smart thermostat already has a capability of letting the power company make adjustments as needed to stabilize the grid. Is it really so hard to imagine the same functionality for EV charging?
Sometimes override the thermostat, because my house needs to be comfortable for occupants. But I can plug in my EV when I get home, and it has 12 hours to charge. On a typical day it might need two hours and I have no reason to care as long as it completes by morning
Also, home batteries and battery storage at public chargers can dampen the “shock” that the grid might face since it’ll deliver power from the local storage that will then recharge at a constant rate from the grid