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Originally Posted by zamler
If every car in Canada was electric could we realistically improve the grid to handle it? Elon Musk has said if every car was an EV the grid would have to double in capacity. Is that feasible?
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I don't think doubling is accurate. Most estimates I've seen with 100% electric car use is a 25-30% increase in overall electricity usage. I guess it'd depend on how much electricity a place uses now. Places like BC or Quebec that heat with electricity would need a smaller increase in overall capacity than places that don't use as much electricity currently. And given that Canada is a net exporter of electricity, in the long run we might not need to increase generation capacity all that much.
And there are also ways to mitigate the impact on the grid like different electricity rates at different times and/or smart chargers to encourage off-peak charging.