Thanks to improvements in EV driving range, environmental regulations, and an aggressive rollout by the auto industry, EVs are expected to hit American highways in droves between now and 2030. But are utility companies - and consumers - ready?
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00:00it's official electric vehicles are hitting highways in droves they're expected to make up
00:09a third or even half of all light vehicles sold in the u.s by 2030 the wall street journal reports
00:15compared to about seven percent in 2022 it begs the question can the power grid handle the influx
00:22of batteries that will need charging the impact is already being felt in some areas like california
00:27where residents have to contend with heat waves to avoid overloading the grid while experts predict
00:32utilities will be able to meet the power demands it will likely require a significant investment
00:38into neighborhood power distribution systems as well as transformers serving commercial sites
00:44as electric delivery vehicles become more common the downside the cost will likely be passed on to
00:49consumers aka higher electric rates to prepare it may be necessary to curb charging during peak power
00:57periods such as in the evening utilities could vary the cost of electricity by time of day and offer
01:04incentives to vehicle owners to charge overnight another idea bi-directional charging where evs could
01:11send power back to the grid from their batteries during peak demand in other words making them part
01:16of the solution instead of the problem