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France has around 223,000 electric vehicles on
its roads and like some other European countries plans to end
the sale of diesel and gasoline vehicles by 2040 as part of
efforts to curb pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
"For us, the development of electric vehicles is a real
opportunity for the electricity system. It could constitute an
important volume for power storage of around 40 gigawatts," RTE
President Francois Brottes told journalists.
Brottes' prediction is based on the most ambitious growth
scenario which forecasts there will be 15.6 million electric
vehicles on French roads by 2035. These could be used to store
electricity when not in use.
Demand from this number of electric vehicles would not exceed 48
terrawatt hour (TWh) per year, or around 10 percent of current
demand, an RTE study found.
Remote management systems could be used to pilot the recharging
of vehicles using renewable energy during the most cost
effective period of the day because 95% of the time vehicles are
stationary, Brottes said.
France's long-term energy plan known as the PPE is forecasting
around 15.6 million electric vehicles by 2035, around 40 percent
of all vehicles on the road now.
RTE said heavy traffic periods, such as school holidays,
departures for weekends and holidays, when vehicles would need
to be recharged, were not a cause for concern.
"Peak electricity consumption in the evening can, in turn, be
mitigated through the implementation of simple management
solutions," the study said.
RTE said the cost of running an electric vehicle could be three
times lower than that of a diesel or gasoline car, which would
cut pollution from the transport sector which makes up around
45% of total French carbon dioxide emissions.
(Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Alexander Smith)
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