New Zealand's electricity network may struggle to keep up with the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), two new reports have warned.
Lines company Vector has released a new "green paper", arguing that it is important that New Zealand has a strong strategy to deal with the uptake of EVs, and what that means for the supply of electricity.
It said the amount of power required to charge an EV with a long-distance battery, at home in the suburbs, would put a strain on existing infrastructure.
"The perception that networks can absorb the uptake of EV charging is only true for the short term while batteries have a short-range capability, customers are satisfied with long charging times and chargers are evenly distributed across the network," it said.
"In Vector's view, this will change in the longer term as the uptake of EVs increases."
Manufacturers expect cars with longer range and larger batteries to be available in the market within the next few years. If current uptake trends continue, one in 15 Auckland households is expected to have an EV by 2021.
Vector said electricity networks had traditionally been sized based on the number of houses on the street. A customer with a big-battery EV would add the equivalent of one to 20 houses' power needs.
Even if uptake was not widespread, Vector said there could be problems if all the EV owners chose to charge during peak time or use faster charging options.
It was likely that people would choose to put their cars on to charge when they got home in the evening, just as other households were turning on appliances or cooking.
Meanwhile, consultancy firm Concept Consulting, said the existing electricity supply arrangements would be a hurdle to the realisation of the potential benefits of electric vehicles.
Concept has previously argued that electric cars are a better opportunity for New Zealanders to help the environment than solar power.
Concept said a more cost-effective time-of-us pricing model would be needed to encourage EV owners not to charge their cars until after 9pm.
That would mean they did not pay more than they should for charging - which would slow the uptake of the vehicles, Concept said - and would mean they were less likely to charge during peak times.
Vector said it was likely that most owners would want to keep their batteries topped up.
Jenny Cameron, chief executive of the Electricity Retailers Association, said the wider sector was engaged with the issues.
"There are challenges but also great opportunities for New Zealand to be smart in how we move to the future." she said.
"Many electricity companies are already offering pricing plans for cheaper overnight electricity that encourage EV users to charge in a smart way."
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