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Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr
Not sure to which extent a massive adpotion of EVs would make the grid more efficient. Well, since the grid in my country relies mostly on hydro power, and the water level at some dams have recently been too low, many thermal powerplants either coal-fired or oil-fired (and a handful NG-fired ones) were turned on more often than usual, increasing the pricing accordingly to their usage. Even though nowadays I see more PHEVs and even all-electric cars more often within the last 3 years, I wouldn't hold my breath for any increase to their market share to become really favorable to any improvement to the overall efficiency of the grid.
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It all depends on the adoption rate of EVs too. We're at 3% of sales here in the US, and that includes PHEVs. It took a decade to reach that market share. If all of a sudden EV sales massively jumped, that might put strain on current baseload generation as well as peak generation. Instead, if electricity demand gradually grows and is forecast correctly, baseload will expand to meet growth.
What I really want is a smart EVSE (EV charger) with an app that lets me buy electricity at real time pricing. I set a price at which I want my car to charge, and it automatically begins when pricing meets that threshold. An alert pages out to me when pricing rises above some threshold I set so I can curtail my electricity use. This alone would help to stabilize the grid and reduce overall cost.
The story of that idiot in Texas that got a $15,000 bill is only that, a lesson an idiot learns by being wasteful in an emergency. Digging into the story more, I learned that she used in 2 days the same amount of electricity I use in a month in my 5 bedroom house, all during an energy shortage. She also received communication from her utility strongly encouraging her to switch providers in anticipation of the skyrocketing rates.