How much additional power does the UK need to generate if every car in the UK was fully electric

To estimate the additional power that the UK would need to generate if every car in the country were fully electric, we need to follow these steps:

⭐ Estimate the total number of cars in the UK.
⭐ Estimate the average annual mileage per car.
⭐ Estimate the average energy consumption of an electric vehicle (EV) per mile.
⭐ Calculate the total energy required.
⭐ Convert this energy requirement into power (considering daily or annual demand).

Step 1: Total Number of Cars in the UK
As of recent data, there are approximately 33 million cars on the road in the UK.

Step 2: Average Annual Mileage per Car
The average car in the UK drives about 7,400 miles per year.

Step 3: Average Energy Consumption of an EV
Electric vehicles typically consume around 0.3 kWh per mile.

Step 4: Total Energy Required
We can now calculate the total energy required annually:
Total Energy=Number of Cars×Annual Mileage per Car×Energy Consumption per MileTotal Energy=Number of Cars×Annual Mileage per Car×Energy Consumption per MileTotal Energy=33,000,000×7,400×0.3 kWhTotal Energy=33,000,000×7,400×0.3 kWhTotal Energy≈73.26 TWh (Terawatt-hours) per yearTotal Energy≈73.26 TWh (Terawatt-hours) per year

Step 5: Convert Energy Requirement into Power
To find out the average additional power generation required, we divide the total energy by the number of hours in a year (8,760 hours):
Average Additional Power Required=Total EnergyHours per YearAverage Additional Power Required=Hours per YearTotal Energy​Average Additional Power Required≈73.26×106 MWh8,760 hours≈8,360 MWAverage Additional Power Required≈8,760 hours73.26×106 MWh​≈8,360 MW

⚡ This means the UK would need to generate an additional 8.36 GW of power on average if every car was fully electric.

Context

🔌 For context, the UK’s current electricity generation capacity is about 100 GW, with a typical demand of 30-50 GW depending on the time of year and day. The additional 8.36 GW represents a significant but manageable increase, requiring investment in power generation and grid infrastructure.

What are your thoughts on this? Can we do it❓

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