Technical and environmental impact of electric vehicles in distribution networks

Against the background of raising CO₂ emissions, there is a great interest in electric vehicles (EVs) as replacement for internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). This paper assesses the CO₂ reduction in the UK result from EVs for years to 2030 based on two factors: future carbon density of different power generation mix in the UK driven by energy policy; and projected EV penetrations; in order to illustrate the important role that EVs play in the UK commitment emissions reduction targets. The battery charging of EVs will adds an extra burden on distribution networks, which may cause peak demand, voltage drop, cable thermal overloads and increase in loss. The technical impacts of EVs charging in 2030 are analyzed at residential distribution level. The possible solutions including demand side participation is considered to evaluate large scale integration of EVs.