A Monash University expert has warned that the timing of electric vehicle charging could play a major role in shaping Australia’s future electricity demand, grid reliability and energy costs as EV adoption accelerates.
The comments follow new analysis from the Monash Energy Institute and a submission to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Electricity Supply for Electric Vehicles.
Associate professor Julie Karel from Monash University said the issue was not simply the growing number of EVs on Australian roads, but when owners choose to charge them.
“The grid can handle EVs – but only if charging is managed to match how the electricity system runs best,” Karel said.
She said electricity networks become stressed when large numbers of people demand power during the same peak periods, particularly in the early evening.
“It’s tempting to think the problem is simply ‘more demand’, but electricity systems don’t usually fail because demand increases gradually,” she said.
“The modelling shows that by 2050, peak demand is about 100 gigawatts under unmanaged evening charging, compared with about 50 gigawatts under grid-friendly charging.”
Karel said shifting EV charging into daytime hours, when solar generation is strongest, as well as quieter overnight periods, could significantly reduce pressure on the electricity grid while improving the use of renewable energy.
The research suggests smart charging strategies could become increasingly important as Australia transitions towards greater EV adoption and renewable energy integration.