EV Energy Rationing Lite – “Monetary incentives could guide charging behaviours” • Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

University of Melbourne explaining the velvet glove approach to EV charge time coercion.

A zero-carbon transport sector needs more than electric vehicles

Decarbonising Australia’s transport systems will take more than a transition to electric vehicles. Understanding how and when owners like to charge their cars is important. Our researchers are examining how we might persuade the increasing electricity demand to meet the time-dependent renewable energy supply.

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Electricity use already peaks at around 6 pm. The added load from masses of commuters plugging in their vehicles at once would strain the grid – and complicate Australia’s transition to renewable energy.

However, intelligent management of electric vehicle charging can bridge gaps in the renewable energy supply. EVs could charge from solar cells during the day and feed electricity back to the home or the grid in the evening.

“Electric vehicles can be hugely beneficial while we make our grid smarter and more sustainable,” says Professor Mancarella.

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Researchers must understand when EVs will be drawing power from the grid – especially as Australia transitions to weather-dependent renewable energy.

“Being able to shape behaviour is fundamental, because you’re going to need to convince your demand to behave in a way that meets your supply,” says Dr Lavieri.

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“People are living on budgets, and they are trying to minimise their costs,” says Dr Lavieri.

Monetary incentives could guide charging behaviours. These include free public charging and time-of-use tariffs – discounts for charging at off-peak times.

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Read more: https://research.unimelb.edu.au/strengths/updates/news/zero-carbon-transport-sector-needs-smart-ev-charging?sfid=7012e000000C8zbAAC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=TT_AI_AP_2023_transport_newsletter_2_CTA_Story_3&utm_source=mse&utm_campaign=R_All_2023_BD_TT_AI_AP

What a shame nuclear power, which could avoid the need for energy rationing by delivering full power output any time of day, is too expensive and difficult.

Except in France where they are obviously a lot smarter than everyone else in the world, or have a special kind of engineering ability which makes nuclear affordable – they managed to affordably decarbonise most of their electricity supply using nuclear in the 1970s.

I mean, our politicians wouldn’t be lying to us about the cost of nuclear power would they? Surely they wouldn’t be considering imposing energy rationing and price coercion, when there was an affordable zero carbon alternative to coercion which they just couldn’t be bothered to support? Surely not.