Keeping the car clean : smart EV charging to support renewables

Motivation •Transport is the biggest CO2 emitter in the UK (~1/3 of emissions) – the vast majority from road transport [1] •Electric vehicles (EVs) are cited as key to going ‘net zero’ [2], and we could be getting 35 million of them by 2040 [3] •Private cars spend 96% of their time parked on average [4], so EV charging is likely to be flexible •The carbon intensity (CO2 per unit of energy) of the grid varies – and is predicted to vary more with increasing renewables •Intermittent renewable generators (such as wind farms) are curtailed when their output exceeds local demand and transmission capacity •Can we get EVs to charge when grid carbon intensity is low, or when renewable energy output is high? •Can EVs provide demand when needed to absorb excess renewable electricity that would otherwise be curtailed