Sales of plug-in electric vehicles grew by 79 percent between 2017 and 2018. Sales figures have seen a tremendous surge, increasing almost seven-fold over six years to reach 358,000 sales in 2018. Tesla remains the most successful electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer in the United States, largely thanks to its incredibly popular Model 3.
EVs may have become a challenge to the electricity transmission system in some places, but they also provide a unique solution to renewable electricity infrastructure. The plug-in electric vehicle fleet acts as a potential decentralized energy storage system. EVs that are fully charged may be able to feed back into the grid when demand increases and electricity from conventional sources is limited. Reselling electricity in this manner acts as a financial incentive for motorists but still has many risks to be addressed.
New grid storage
The term plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) refers to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). PEV registrations account for only a small share of the U.S. market as of now, but the growing number of electric vehicles running on energy tapped from the U.S. electricity grid will likely drive up electricity demand. For many countries, including the United States, this poses potential problems: is the current capacity high enough? Which infrastructure needs to be updated? And how many outlets are needed to meet demand?EVs may have become a challenge to the electricity transmission system in some places, but they also provide a unique solution to renewable electricity infrastructure. The plug-in electric vehicle fleet acts as a potential decentralized energy storage system. EVs that are fully charged may be able to feed back into the grid when demand increases and electricity from conventional sources is limited. Reselling electricity in this manner acts as a financial incentive for motorists but still has many risks to be addressed.
