Electric vehicles are revolutionising the way we travel – but they are only really emission-free if the electricity you charge them with is 100% renewable.
Moreover, if the nation decides as a whole to start charging their EV’s when they return home at 6pm (which is already peak demand time) then the grid will struggle to cope. Ironically we may end up relying on more coal and at oil fired power stations to cope with this increased demand.
So whats the solution? We want to wean ourselves off diesel and petrol – but without having to use dirty electricity to do so.
Solution 1. Reduce your car journeys – use public transport, walk, cycle or car share.
Solution 2. Buy an electric vehicle, but make sure you charge it responsibly and renewably. You can do this by:-
A. Installing solar PV panels to provide your house (and your EV) with 100% renewable electricity.
B. Install a Zappi EV charge point. This intelligent device makes maximum use of your generated solar before using a drop from the grid.
C. In addition, if you sign up to a time of use tariff such as this one from Octopus Energy, then you can access overnight electricity from 5p a unit- Outside peak demand hours.
D. If you have absolutely no roof for solar, then at least sign up to a 100% renewable electricity supplier (and try and avoid charging your car between 5pm and 9pm). You can find suitable electricity suppliers here.