Whilst we can see that the uptake of CAVs and EVs play a crucial role in the smart city of the future, the challenge is that they have significantly different charging requirements. A move towards decentralised energy is critical to maintaining an effective and fully connected smart infrastructure. Preventing energy from being generated and distributed where the power is needed – primarily in cities – will lead to ramifications far beyond our transportation system.
If, for example, we assume that any existing grid can adequately support thousands of EV owners plugging in at the same time, we are being very short-sighted, and overlooking a very real risk of brownouts and energy shortages and that’s even before we start looking into the impact of Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs).
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