Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of an increase in numbers of electric cars by 2020 on the capacity of the National Grid.

We have regular discussions with all the key parties in the electricity systems – including energy suppliers, network operators and National Grid – to ensure that they are prepared for electric vehicle take up. We are also taking powers as part of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill, announced in the Queen’s speech, which will mean all chargepoints sold or installed in the UK will be ‘Smart’ enabled. Smart charging has the potential to reduce the demands from electric vehicles by ensuring their charging can flex to meet grid needs. Through their ‘Future Energy Scenarios’ work published on 13 July 2017, National Grid project that with smart charging the additional peak demand caused by electric vehicles in GB could be reduced to 6GW in 2050. Northern Ireland Electricity Networks is responsible for the transmission and distribution of electricity in Northern Ireland, and energy policy in Northern Ireland is devolved.