DC Share will create DC interconnection between AC secondary substations. EV rapid charging hubs will be connected to the DC network.
The DC will allow the distribution of power between different AC substations and from AC substations to the DC rapid chargers.
By sharing the load of rapid charging between AC substations, a DC rapid charging hub can be delivered without traditional reinforcement of the network. This will allow for rapid EV charging facilities to be developed in urban areas.
The availability of EV charging is key to enabling EV uptake, supporting user confidence and enabling high utilisation of electric vehicles.
Rapid chargers are required for:
- Destination charging
- High utilisation commercial charging
Rapid charging will become increasingly important as the charge capacity of EVs grows.
Uptake of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles
The UK Government's Road to Zero Strategy sets out that almost all road transport to zero emissions by 2050 and stopping sales of ICE cars and vans by 2040.
More ambitious target of net-zero carbon by 2050 as a recommendation by the Committee on Climate Change requires the full decarbonisation of all vehicles by 2050 and stopping the sale of ICE vehicles as early as 2030.
The most rapid increase in uptake are likely to be urban fleets and users, such as taxi fleets, car, clubs, delivery fleet and other company and commercial vehicles – to support this rapid uptake, a substantial development of the charging infrastructure system will be required.
Required Charging Infrastructure
Provision of charging infrastructure, especially rapid charging, is seen as a significant challenge due to other costs associated with securing grid connections and upgrades and deploying infrastructure on urban areas – where demand is highest and spare grid capacity is hardest to find.
Rapid charge points will have an appeal when combined with short-term parking in city-centres. There is also a demand from taxis and commercial fleets aiming to electrify their vehicles.
Development of rapid charging hubs in urban areas is a key enabler to the electrification of transport. We believe rapid charging hubs should be located in convenient areas that can be easily accessed by both public users and commercial vehicles. This means they will have high power requirements in areas where power availability is likely to be limited and network upgrade costs could be high.
Why Now?
The uptake of EVs and the deployment of charging infrastructure are closely linked. Increasingly, evidence shows that users want to see a developed charging network before committing to EVs.
The project will develop and test the DC Share solution. Following successful demonstration the solution can rolled out to enable deployment of rapid charging hubs in urban areas ensuring that EV uptake is not inhibited.