Skip to main content

TRL to lead project to encourage wider adoption of plug-in vehicles

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has appointed TRL, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory, to lead its Consumers, Vehicles and Energy Integration (CVEI) project. The US$8 million project will examine how the UK energy system needs to adapt in order to accommodate and encourage greater adoption of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles. The project aims to understand the required changes to existing infrastructure, as well as consumer response to a wider introduction of plug-in hybrid and el
September 11, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has appointed 491 TRL, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory, to lead its Consumers, Vehicles and Energy Integration (CVEI) project. The US$8 million project will examine how the UK energy system needs to adapt in order to accommodate and encourage greater adoption of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.

The project aims to understand the required changes to existing infrastructure, as well as consumer response to a wider introduction of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles in the UK. The project will be led by independent transport specialists, TRL, supported by Element Energy, Baringa Partners and Cenex. Other team members include EDF Energy, Route Monkey, EV Connect and the University of Aberdeen.

The two-year project will be carried out in two stages. The first stage will focus on detailed analysis and design of market, policy and regulatory frameworks, business models and customer offerings, electricity and liquid fuel infrastructure and technologies throughout the energy system, as well as at charging and refuelling points and on-vehicle. This will be supported by insights from consumers and fleets into use of plug-in vehicles.

The second stage will deliver a trial involving over 300 mass market users to validate the impact of solutions identified in stage one and understand consumer and fleet responses to the vehicles and to managed charging schemes.

Outputs from the project will be made publicly available throughout the project.

Commenting on the project, Jenny Stannard, TRL project manager said, “We’re already starting to see a sizeable shift in acceptance of electric vehicles in the UK. However, as more vehicles become electrified, we need to understand the pressure this extra demand will put on our energy networks, as well as the potential opportunities it will bring.

“We also need to understand how consumers will respond and engage with these vehicles in order to develop an appropriate energy system that meets the needs of all parties. The CVEI project is the first and only project to analyse each of these elements in tandem - from energy demand and supply through to consumer usage and response. This not only provides a holistic picture of the energy demand, use and supply surrounding plug-in vehicles, but will generate the required evidence to inform policy makers and long term infrastructure investment in the UK.”

ETI project manager, Nick Eraut, added: “Light vehicles account for up to 20% of UK CO2 emissions and are a major contributor to congestion and urban air quality so it is important that emissions from the light vehicle sector are reduced if the UK’s 2050 emissions targets are to be met cost effectively.

Related Content

  • November 17, 2015
    UN vehicle regulations ‘could prevent deaths and injuries in Brazil’
    A new research report from the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has revealed that 34,000 Brazilian lives could be saved and 350,000 serious injuries prevented by 2030, if UN vehicle safety regulations were adopted and car manufacturers sought to achieve higher ratings in the Latin NCAP crash test programme. Published on the eve of the second High Level Conference on Road Safety in Brazil, the independent study, which was commissioned by Global NCAP, highlights the gap between the regulated vehicl
  • May 24, 2021
    AlphaStruxure to provide e-bus microgrid
    Energy as a Service project aims to cut emissions in Montgomery County, Maryland
  • August 14, 2012
    Europe will lead global hybrid and electric truck and bus market
    Europe will emerge as the most competitive regional market for hybrid and electric medium-heavy trucks and buses, globally, according to Frost & Sullivan. This will be particularly true for the transit bus segment, which is expected to experience proliferation of competitors, both on the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and supplier side. Strategic Analysis of the Medium- to Heavy-duty Hybrid and Electric Commercial Vehicle Market in EMEA Region, from Frost & Sullivan, estimates that nearly seven per c
  • June 28, 2017
    Autonomous grocery delivery trials in Greenwich
    The TRL-led GATEway Project, together with Ocado Technology (a division of Ocado, the online-only supermarket) is running the UK’s first trials of an autonomous vehicle around the Berkeley Homes, Royal Arsenal Riverside development in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London.