Yes, the electric grid can support the transition to EVs. Electric vehicles are essentially mobile batteries that can get us where we need to go. Since most EVs are only used a small fraction of each day, they can often charge when energy on the grid is clean, cheap, and abundant.
The U.S. added 1.2 million EVs to the grid in 2023, and electricity use decreased! EVs have the potential to make the grid more efficient by using electricity when it isn’t needed for other applications or when there is excess capacity on the grid from renewables. EVs may require grid upgrades at the local utility level, but EVs are not going to “crash” the grid. Since EVs are a flexible load, they can even help offset the largest drivers of electric load growth, which are data centers and new manufacturing. Water heating and air conditioning in the average home use more electricity than EVs.
