Project: My Electric Avenue - with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks
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28 January 2022
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EA Technology
Investigating the impact of clusters of electric vehicles (EVs) on Britain's electricity network
Client: Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSE) in UK
EA Technology worked with SSE and a range of partners to deliver the My Electric Avenue project, which was funded by Ofgem and ran from January 2013 to December 2015.
The project undertook trials with over 200 customers to determine how electricity networks in Britain are likely to cope at peak times as the sales of EVs continue to rise. This was the first project to ever focus purely on the impact that clusters of EVs have on an electricity network in the UK.
Project Partners:
- EA Technology
- Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks
- Nissan
- DriveElectric
- Zero Carbon Futures
- Northern Powergrid
EA Technology was responsible for:
- Leading the project
- Bringing on board all project partners, which was a first for a non-DNSP (Distribution Network Service Provider)
- Managing project finances
- Partner/supplier contract management and liaison
What were the key findings?
The project recruited over 200 people in different clusters around Britain where each person would drive an EV for 18 months to trial a new technology ‘Esprit’ - developed by EA Technology. Esprit monitors and controls the electricity consumed when charging an EV, to curtail the charging at peak times. This allowed the strain on the network to be measured whilst assessing potential routes of mitigation to avoid network reinforcements. Forecasts suggested that Esprit could save around AUD 4.1 billion in reinforcement costs up to 2050.
EA Technology’s role included the provision of the technology for the trials, which will assist DNOs in enhancing network efficiency by shifting demand at peak times to help maintain voltages.
Throughout the trials, participants’ charging habits were also monitored and the data has been analysed. Key learning from the project suggests that during weekdays, charging is more likely to be before and after work (creating a morning and night peak) whereas at weekends charging is more likely to be between 10am and 6pm. In addition, approximately 70% of the EVs were only charged once a day and more than 65% of vehicles were charged until the battery was full. These findings have led to further research within the ‘Smart EV’ and ‘Electric Nation’ projects.
Take a look at the project’s summary report for more detail.
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