Watt’s Next: Navigating the Surge in Electric Vehicle Adoption and its Implications for Grid Operations, a seminar by Dr Siddharth Singh (University College London)

Watt’s Next: Navigating the Surge in Electric Vehicle Adoption and its Implications for Grid Operations

By Dr Siddharth Singh from University College London School of Management

Abstract

The rapid electrification of transportation is a cornerstone of decarbonization efforts, yet it may also increase peak electricity demand and places substantial strain on existing grid infrastructure. At the same time, electric vehicles (EVs) offer the potential to mitigate these issues via managed charging and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technologies. This paper explores how an integrated energy system planner can optimally manage EVs and stationary battery storage to minimize system-wide costs and emissions.

We develop a stylized analytical model that accounts for EV drivers’ driving needs, the proportion of them willing to enrol in managed charging programs, and the degree of flexibility they are willing to offer. We derive optimal grid operations for a simplified setting with two periods (peak and off-peak) per day and show that the key insights extend to a higher-fidelity 24-hour model calibrated with real data from the PJM interconnection region. We find that the interplay between EVs and grid-scale batteries is non-trivial—they can be substitutes or complements in the system planner’s portfolio. We also extend the model to incorporate EV drivers with heterogeneous default charging behaviours.

By capturing the fundamental trade-offs involved in managing EVs and stationary storage, our model offers a useful foundation for designing effective grid management strategies and EV charging programs. Utilities and policymakers should prioritize expanding participation in managed charging programs, particularly among drivers with peak-time charging habits. Investments in stationary storage should be aligned with EV adoption and management trajectories to prevent inefficiencies. While high EV adoption is desirable, its benefits depend critically on user behaviour and system integration strategies.

About the speaker

Siddharth Singh is an Assistant Professor in the Operations & Technology group in the University College London School of Management. He joined UCL after completing his PhD in Operations Management at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to his PhD, Siddharth was an Associate at the Boston Consulting Group.

Siddharth’s research activities focus on studying how technological advancements are shaping the way we think about business, and the role that regulators should play to promote responsible technology deployment. Siddharth’s primary domains of interest are sustainable operations and service operations. Within the realm of sustainable operations, his research typically adopts a social lens and tackles problems associated with clean energy technology adoption by firms and individuals. Siddharth is particularly excited by the burgeoning solar/wind/storage and EV markets and its implications for management and policy decisions. In the realm of service operations, Siddharth studies how strategic customers interact with queues and queue-related information. Recently, Siddharth has developed an interest in studying how customers' decisions may deviate from ideal (fully rational) behaviour and what implications this has for service design. Siddharth’s research has been published in Manufacturing & Service Operations Management and Production and Operations Management.