Electricity companies in the UK may be given the powers to turn off the energy supply to EV chargers at peak times to cope with high demand.
The controversial plans which are aimed at high-drain devices such as EV chargers and electric central heating systems come at a time of great change for the energy industry, with the national grid likely to be under increased demand due to more and more EV cars being plugged in.
The proposals, which form a key element of the Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement have been introduced because “Electricity networks in Great Britain were not designed to accommodate the significant additional demand that certain consumer devices (such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers) presents,” according to the report.
With separate smart meters installed especially for EV chargers, there are worries that energy companies may be looking to cash in on the increased demand by charging car charging customers more for the same electricity. Especially as the the National Grid’s policy director for decarbonisation previously claimed that there is enough capacity for EV charging, saying: “Even if the impossible happened and we all switched to EVs overnight, we think demand would only increase by around 10 per cent.”
While pauses at peak times are understandable the consumer watchdog Ofgen is unlikely to sponsor the proposals, with a spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy saying: “Any proposals from network companies to do this would be rigorously challenged by Ofgem which serves to protect consumers.”