Overview

• The Nature Communications study uses advanced computer simulations of vehicle usage and grid infrastructure to map electricity flows under high EV adoption scenarios.
• Researchers led by Adilson Motter determined that grid congestion, rather than renewable generation shortages, is the primary barrier to delivering clean power for EV charging.
• Current transmission constraints would cause one-third of potential CO2 reductions from a fully electric vehicle fleet to be lost as the grid defaults to nearby fossil-fuel power plants.
• The team calculated that increasing transmission capacity by 3 to 13 percent in strategic locations would sharply cut congestion-induced emissions.
• Federal and utility officials are evaluating targeted grid upgrades to strengthen connections between the Eastern, Western and Texas interconnections and sustain EV decarbonization gains.