Should You Care About EVs?

Many gasolines powered car enthusiasts’ attitudes are changing as they become more influenced by the newer electric vehicles. Automobile manufacturers have made increasing efforts to develop an EV that is suitable for almost anyone today and in the future. Of course, nothing will be able to match the true roar of a gasoline engine, but at this rate, technological features may simply simulate these. The true source of concern, which affects us all, is the electricity used for these EVs, whether it is charging infrastructure or the electrical grid.

Is the Infrastructure in Place?

Some proponents of electric vehicles argue that infrastructure can be prepared to handle the rising demand for charging these vehicles. While many others argue that the infrastructure does not exist, the supply of EVs may outnumber the supply of chargers as the world’s largest automakers shift their focus from gasoline-powered vehicles to all-electric vehicles. Tesla charging stations were reported to have over a mile long of cars waiting during Thanksgiving in 2019. That is an absurdly long time to wait, given that these EVs would take at least 10 minutes to charge.

While the infrastructure may not be in the best possible condition, the electric vehicle market appears to be steadily growing, so adjustments will need to be made to meet rising demand. More than four million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles have been sold globally to date, with 125 million expected by 2030.

Even with at-home charging stations, there is a lot to think about. Will the electrical grid, for example, be able to handle many people charging their EVs at the same time? The real concern occurs when you consider how many people charge their cars at the same time at night when wind generation is at its lowest and solar does not work. Typically, extra fossil fuel powered generation capacity goes unused during these hours because demand is lowest, but will that change? Only time will tell.

Will EVs Bring Down the Electrical Grid?

One thing that is apparent is the push for battery electric vehicles seems to be driven by political decision making versus well thought out engineered concepts. At the time it appears unlikely that EVs will cause the grid to go down. In 2019, EVs accounted for only 2.6 percent of global car sales and about 1 percent of global car stock. There will be no real impact on the grid until 15% of vehicles on the road are electric. According to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report, that level of adoption isn’t expected to occur until 2035. For now, it is safe to assume that we will be equipped to handle the EVs as they rise in popularity. We will see how things change by 2035.