Forget the Nuclear “Elephant in the EV Room”, its “charging after dark” that will power the UK’s EV revolution.

We are told that expanding EV ownership will be a key plank in the Government’s plan to meet its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 78% in 2035, compared to 1990. With land transport representing 22% of commissions and cars 61% of this, you can see how this sector has to be a key target.

The EV revolution is already underway, with virtually every week seeing a new EV car being launched by traditional “Fossil fuel” manufactures, plus a sprinkling of brand new EV only players.

How will all these EV’s be charged?

At the moment there is no clear answer, which is a major concern. The obvious, but not necessarily most popular solution, is to increase Nuclear power.

Nuclear is the most reliable power source, with plants only having to be “refuelled” every 1.5-2 years, compared to fossil fuel plants which require frequent maintenance and cleaning. 

More importantly nuclear power plants can run at maximum power for more than 93% of a year. That’s about 1.5 to 2 times more than natural gas and coal units, and 2.5 to 3.5 times more reliable than wind and solar plants.

Nuclear has long been the power workhorse of the USA and is the dominant power source in China. It is no coincidence that these two nations are leading the EV revolution and are expected to see hyper growth in EV’s uptake.

The UK is going to be a fast follower in the rush to EV’s, with confidence in charging access being a major inhibitor of uptake.

The French owned company EDF, are the key Nuclear operator in the UK today with 9 plants and nuclear power represents 20% of the UK’s current supply. However, 50% of this capacity is due to be retired by 2025, leaving us with a net reduction in nuclear power rather than the needed expansion.

A key question is how quickly can we build new plants and who will build them?

Having a key energy source in the ownership of a foreign power, even if it is a close European partner, seems less logical post Brexit. With China being a politically unacceptable alternative, the Government has a major nuclear headache, that is unlikely to be solved any time soon.

This leaves more efficient use of our power grid as our best option.

The UK Government is already subsidising the installation of home chargers to the tune of 75% of the cost, to a maximum of £350.

These home chargers can fully charge an EV during a 6–8-hour period and electricity providers like Octopus are pushing attractive low “night-time” electricity tariffs to encourage overnight EV charging, during non-peak times for the national grid.

Most EV’s have a fully charged range of between 150-250 miles, which is more than enough for most daily commutes and with employers also likely to install bookable “top up chargers” in the office car parks to encourage charge point sharing at work.

So, educating and rewarding EV overs to “charge after dark” seems are best alternative, whilst the UK Government sorts its current Nuclear headache.

At the “Eco – Electric Car Organisation” we plan to lead this home EV charging, providing Free Home Chargers as part of our “Test Drive” and Tax efficient “Lease Options” so start following us now to grab marketing leading solutions and deals.