Electricity demand with electric cars in 2030: comparing Great Britain and Spain

The effect of domestic charging of electric vehicles (EVs) on electricity demand at a national level was addressed. A study case was created to investigate how different charging regimes (i.e. control policies) and EV-uptake levels will affect the electricity demand of Great Britain (GB) and Spain in 2030. Charging rates, battery capacities, and battery and charger efficiencies were drawn from literature. Traffic patterns were acquired from the British Department for Transport and the Spanish Ministry of Public Works. Uncontrolled, dual tariff (time-based control), dynamic price (price-based control) domestic charging regimes were defined and applied to both power systems for different EV utilization levels. The results show that for low EV utilization, the GB system would be able to cope with the increased demand that EV domestic charging would create. The Spanish system would need additional generation to cover the EV charging needs. The anticipated high EV utilization would almost double peak the demand in both countries.