intelligentutility 2/16/2010

Will electric vehicle charging blackout neighborhoods?

Utilities plan for the coming wave of PEVs and the potential disruptive impact of sudden dynamic hot spots of localized demand on a grid used to static demand.

"I suspect that the greatest challenge being posed by electric vehicles is not with the charging stations or even the availability of the vehicles themselves, but with the challenge to over 3,000 U.S. electric utilities that will suddenly face unplanned demand and will need to expend significant financial resources, staff resources and planning resources to deal with that demand," Howard concluded.