Electricity Asset Management Plan 2019-2029
115
Vector Limited://
4.5.4 DISTRIBUTION EV CHARGERS Overview
As of January 2019, 5,394 electric vehicles have been registered on Auckland roads. The availability of public charging infrastructure supports the increased uptake of electric vehicles as it enables the possibility to complete journeys beyond the battery range and reduces range anxiety. In line with the new energy future, in 2016 we commenced a programme to install EV chargers in strategic public locations over the wider Auckland area. The Vector EV charging app was launched in 2017 providing directions to EV chargers making them easier for customers to find. We also have a number of EV chargers in the parking basements of our main office building to charge our own fleet of battery cars. Population and Age The table below summarises our population of public EV chargers. The first units were installed in 2016 with the latest installed in 2018.
No of public EV chargers
27
No of EV chargers in Vector’s office building
6
Table 4-17 Key statistics for EV chargers
Condition and Health The EV charger fleet is very young and apart from some teething issues that are oftentimes experienced with a new asset class, the EV chargers are in good health. EV chargers form part of our maintenance regime for which provision is made in our Opex budget. Strategy It is clear that the popularity of EVs is on the rise and this forms an important aspect of our Symphony load forecast model. The integration of EV chargers into the electricity network and the potential impact on infrastructure investment needs to be carefully considered to avoid overloading and excessive peaks and this is considered when sites for public charging are selected. Going forward Vector will limit the installation of new EV chargers in the public domain but will continue to maintain its existing fleet of EV chargers. EV growth in major cities is generally higher than national averages and Auckland is no exception and is the hub of EVs in NZ with 1 out of 2 EVs registered in Auckland. If this trend continues we could see 1 in 15 households with an EV by 2021. Vector is looking to engage with leading stakeholders in NZ to collaborate in research and demonstration programmes, exchange expertise and data and develop a regulatory framework in which EVs can thrive. As part of this programme Vector plans to install EV chargers in 120 private homes spread across Auckland to better understand customers behaviours and response to this new technology. As part of its contract with customers we will maintain the EV chargers for a set period of time. 4.5.6 STRATEGY FOR THE LV NETWORK Power generation is shifting from stable, dispatchable resources connected to power transmission to variable, renewable resources connected to the distribution network. Our strategy and planning processes need to shift to address this new reality. Going into the future we will maintain the present fleet of solar panels/batteries and the standalone battery fleet and will continue to develop our LV network to suit the requirements of the new energy future. With the Symphony scenario, our focus on the visibility of our LV network and dynamic management of the LV network will increase. We will continue to maintain, refurbish and upgrade the LV network in the traditional ways to keep the network fit for purpose and fit in terms of H&S requirements but our strategy will now make provision for the new market i.e. we will focus on making the LV network ready for the variable and renewable resources connected to the distribution network to create an LV network suitable for customers to produce, consume, store and sell electricity. To improve visibility of the LV network we are enhancing and expanding our back-end data systems and improving our analytics and mapping capabilities (linked to the asset information systems, enhanced tariffs, and peer to peer trading). This includes enhancing our capability to model and analyse the behaviour of our LV network, and the customer energy demands placed on it particularly where DER and transport electrification is becoming pronounced. We have defined the use cases to improve visibility of the LV network using modern and cost-effective monitoring devices to measure energy flows in the LV network and trial sites are being evaluated. Smart meters and advanced metering infrastructure offer a whole new range of LV supervision capabilities and we are investigating the options offered by smart metering technology 4.5.5 RESIDENTIAL EV CHARGERS Overview and Strategy
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