– By Ed Neilan – (Renewables and EV Infrastructure Consultant)
The global energy landscape is changing rapidly. Beyond the challenges of COVID, the energy sector is going through massive change and disruption. This should be a concern to all users, commercial or other. Ultimately it affects price, service, security and quality of electricity to end users.
In the previous two articles on Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers for building/properties, we covered the minimum steps that need to be considered for good governance and planning.
When you start to look at the amounts of kW (Kilowatts) a fleet will require to charge all the vehicles, it amazes most people just how much and the equivalent number of houses of power they use on a weekly basis.
I was astounded back in May this year when the Australian company Tritium Chargers, announced it scored a deal to electrify the US Army’s 225,000 strong vehicle fleet. (Now that a big task that makes Australian fleets look minuscule.)
So, the message is, we need gigawatts and terawatts of electricity to power electric vehicles. (Yes, that’s a load of power!) Can the electricity networks and grid sustain that sort of intermittent high-power consumption? That’s a whole different topic that would take many articles.
So what’s the take away message? There will be limited opportunity to get more supply from the grid in different areas as it is limited and comes at a big cost to upgrade if it is in fact available to that section of the grid. If it’s too expensive or not available, what options do you have to charge your fleet vehicles?
Now we are into the real challenges when it comes to hundreds of vehicles and multiple properties that may be capable at a cost to provide charging facilities.
Key messages on EV chargers:
- Early planning requires a strategic roadmap. Whether the greater renewables or just EV chargers, it requires good planning.
- Get the capacity assessment completed to know the constraints and budget costs to plan when you need to do it in stages.
- Get independent advice and not salesman.
Fleets are going to be the most challenged when it comes to EV chargers, as the numbers required are quite scary from a power perspective. The addition of chargers will trigger other considerations around pricing, renewables, battery storage and how to balance loads. (All guaranteed to give you a headache if you don’t understand the energy sector or electrical infrastructure.)
Those that require guidance or advisory can contact me directly on the email below. As an independent consultant I work with national companies and international suppliers that can do what they say they can and provide service and proper warranty when it does get needed.
Fleets require reliable equipment, service and warranty to keep the vehicles doing what they need to do. Don’t kid yourself and go cheap as the fallout with poor electrical infrastructure or bad choice of equipment will cripple the fleet and drive staff crazy. Do it right. You wouldn’t put bad fuel in a vehicle so why take short cuts with electrification?
There are enormous opportunities to reduce risk, improve resilience, and create new value to avoid a strategic mistake that overlooks key considerations. The aim is to help evolve sites and navigate the complex field of electricity, the associated challenges occurring across the Australian energy market.
As advisor to commercial and industrial clients, I quantify the steps and infrastructure investment required to facilitate Renewables and EV chargers to deliver, capital value and customer benefits. All while improving your energy footprint by deploying green, reliable and efficient energy solutions.
Ed came out of the energy industry dealing with electricity and renewables, including large scale solar projects, battery storage and EV chargers. He now consults to different sectors from Property and Aged Care to Engineering and Stand-alone power systems with Electricity Utilities across renewables and management consulting, using more than a decade of his C-level experience to make the complex simple and easy to follow.
Should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Ed via the phone (0412 902792) or email ed@neilangroup.com.au
