Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Will the switch to electric vehicles cause the UK to blow a fuse?
Just how prepared is the UK for the new Government policy of phasing out petrol and diesel cars by 2040? According to this article in the Daily Telegraph, there is still some way to go.
They say that electric car owners have been warned that if they attempt to boil a kettle while charging their car it will blow the fuse:
The National Grid have expressed concerns that an average size 3.5kW battery charger would take 19 hours to fully charge a car battery, even when it is 25 per cent full.
A “thought piece” document obtained by the Financial Times warned that a more powerful 11kW device would still take six hours to charge a car battery and during that time, the use of everyday items such as kettles and ovens would blow the fuse.
“The average household is supplied with single phase electricity and is fitted with a main fuse of 60-80 amps,” the National Grid said.
“If one were to use an above average power charger, say 11kW, this would require 48 amps. When using such a charger it would mean that you could not use other high demand electrical items... without tripping the house's main fuse.”
The National Grid went on to say that most electric cars will require a battery capacity of 90 kilowatt hours (kWh) to make journeys of around 300 miles. It suggests that the ability to travel longer distances without stopping to recharge will be a “must have” if motorists are to abandon petrol or diesel cars.
We await the UK Government investment needed to counter these concerns and to fulfil the vision they have set out.
They say that electric car owners have been warned that if they attempt to boil a kettle while charging their car it will blow the fuse:
The National Grid have expressed concerns that an average size 3.5kW battery charger would take 19 hours to fully charge a car battery, even when it is 25 per cent full.
A “thought piece” document obtained by the Financial Times warned that a more powerful 11kW device would still take six hours to charge a car battery and during that time, the use of everyday items such as kettles and ovens would blow the fuse.
“The average household is supplied with single phase electricity and is fitted with a main fuse of 60-80 amps,” the National Grid said.
“If one were to use an above average power charger, say 11kW, this would require 48 amps. When using such a charger it would mean that you could not use other high demand electrical items... without tripping the house's main fuse.”
The National Grid went on to say that most electric cars will require a battery capacity of 90 kilowatt hours (kWh) to make journeys of around 300 miles. It suggests that the ability to travel longer distances without stopping to recharge will be a “must have” if motorists are to abandon petrol or diesel cars.
We await the UK Government investment needed to counter these concerns and to fulfil the vision they have set out.
