Introduction: Installation of charge point infrastructure and measuring equipment supplied by Chargemaster, as part of a larger Electric Vehicle (EV) trial, and lease of 5 electric Ford Tourneo to investigate the impact of electric vehicles on electricity distribution network and evaluate in service issues of electric vehicles for possible use by SSE staff.

Objectives: The key issues to be researched are:

Timing and volume of vehicle recharging events and the potential impact on the distribution network. The balance between domestic recharging and public recharging i.e. using publicly available infrastructure provided for the trial. This will be important in assessing the possible penetration of EVs on the network before reinforcement is required. The price sensitivity of customer behaviour will also be tested to the extent that they prefer using off peak electricity rather than using the boost facility to top up the car. i.e. this will be a real test of range anxiety and hence of the possibility to demand manage EVs in the future.