CHARGING AHEAD FOR THE BIG SHIFT

COMMUNITIES, ELECTRICAL GRID OPERATORS TRY TO PREPARE FOR EVENTUAL INFLUX OF EVS

The Kootenay area in British Columbia, home to more than 150,000 people over a sprawling area stretching 57,000 square kilometres, has a mere dozen or so people driving electric vehicles.

But despite the slow adoption of battery-powered automobiles, Kootenay’s three regional districts have partnered with various organizations and are spending $1.5 million to install a comprehensive electric vehicle charging network in the hopes of both sparking adoption of such vehicles and boosting tourism.

“It’s not local demand that’s driving this initial strategy, it’s the desire to be prepared and ahead of the game to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles,” said Megan Lohmann, head of community energy management at Community Energy BC, a partner in the Accelerate Kootenay project that will install 53 chargers in the area.

The project is a small step forward and it doesn’t change the fact that charging infrastructure remains one of the most significant obstacles when it comes to adopting electric vehicles, say government officials and auto industry experts, but it also shows how communities and electrical grid operators are trying to prepare for the eventual influx of EVs that the federal government is pushing for.

“Having charging stations is a key part to providing some comfort for local residents that are considering transitioning to a clean energy vehicle,” Lohmann said.

There are two common levels of public chargers: Level 2 chargers, faster than a basic Level 1, can recharge vehicles from zero in about four to six hours; and Level 3 chargers can recharge cars to 80 per cent capacity in about 30 minutes. Canada doesn’t appear to have enough of either.

There were 3,900 publicly accessible Level 1 and Level 2 chargers and 315 Level 3 chargers in Canada in 2016, according to the International Energy Agency. That pales in comparison to other countries such as China (52,778 Level 1 and 2 chargers; and 88,476 Level 3), the United States (35,089 Level 1 and 2; and 5,384 Level 3) and Japan (17,260 Level 1 and 2; and 5,990 Level 3).

The Accelerate Kootenay project will install 13 fast chargers and 40 level 2 chargers throughout 40 communities.

“We really see connectivity and range anxiety as the biggest barrier for local residents who are very reliant on their personal vehicles and can’t be stuck between two communities, especially at -30C,” she said. “In order to get that broader take of EVs in our region, we really need to demonstrate that there’s a network that’s safe and reliable.”

The number of charging stations required for an area largely depends on how many EVs are expected to be on local roads, but the IEA estimates four to 14 million publicly available outlets will be needed worldwide by 2030.

But any additional infrastructure — particularly powerful fast-charging stations — could potentially impact the electricity grid.

If every Canadian car owner switched to an electric vehicle tomorrow, the amount of electricity annually used would increase by 13-16 per cent, according to a study conducted by Natural Resources Canada research engineer Hajo Ribberink.

Given that the deployment of electric vehicles is not expected to happen overnight, Ribberink said there is time for electricity producers to prepare for the shift.

It may be necessary for some local electricity distribution providers to upgrade transformers in areas that may see a higher early adoption rate of electric vehicles, but Ribberink said charging at night — when there is an excess of unused energy — would help alleviate that potential challenge.

He also points out utility providers can monitor electricity capacity as EVs hit the streets.

For example, Burlington Hydro in Ontario launched a pilot study called EVFutureGrid where electric vehicle owners volunteer to allow the utility to automate charging at optimal times of day, based on usage, demand and prices.

However, Brad Yauch, an economist at the Consumer Policy Institute, is critical of the idea that charging vehicles at night will be the win-win situation for consumers and electricity producers that some experts are hoping for. He said the situation would only work in a perfect world.

“If the forecast that everyone charges their vehicles at night doesn’t actually materialize, then you’ll start running into situations where certain parts of the transition, distribution or generation system might not be able to handle short periods of high demand if there is large-scale adoption of electric vehicles,” he said.