EV Charging Article in E&T Lack of Joined Up Thinking

This is quite amusing as those of us who have some idea how the network holds together have been saying more or less the same thing (there be trouble ahead) for some time, usually to be described as luddite or naysaying, and referred to such technical gurus as the directors of National Grid saying reassuring things like they are aware of no issue. It is a welcome change to see an article with some numbers in that look about right (round here SSE land, the typical suburban substation is half megawatt with perhaps 70 houses per phase,  so 400A fuses are common.) We may soon be at the stage where some substations and street mains get tested for real. Of course the substation fuse is not the real limiting factor, but the heating of the transformer itself - and with an unbalanced load the two may not coincide.
Longer term it will probably need streets re-wiring, ideally to 3 phase,  or the voltage changing to something higher to retain the same cables.

Demand management is probably not best done over an internet that can be blocked by foreign hackers. A frequency based load shed may be better.
Mike.

This is quite amusing as those of us who have some idea how the network holds together have been saying more or less the same thing (there be trouble ahead) for some time, usually to be described as luddite or naysaying, and referred to such technical gurus as the directors of National Grid saying reassuring things like they are aware of no issue. It is a welcome change to see an article with some numbers in that look about right (round here SSE land, the typical suburban substation is half megawatt with perhaps 70 houses per phase,  so 400A fuses are common.) We may soon be at the stage where some substations and street mains get tested for real. Of course the substation fuse is not the real limiting factor, but the heating of the transformer itself - and with an unbalanced load the two may not coincide.
Longer term it will probably need streets re-wiring, ideally to 3 phase,  or the voltage changing to something higher to retain the same cables.

Demand management is probably not best done over an internet that can be blocked by foreign hackers. A frequency based load shed may be better.
Mike.

The National Grid are happy with their capacity.  With the decline in heavy industry in the UK, their big HV cables are now running well within their limits.

It's the stuff owned by the DNOs that's the problem.  The street-level transformers feeding the housing estates.