Tim Leunig’s Policy Substack

Tim Leunig’s Policy Substack

Electric car transition - part two

We need to make "vehicle to grid" happen, now.

Tim Leunig's avatar
Tim Leunig
Jan 29, 2024
∙ Paid
2
Share

red and black car door
Photo by myenergi on Unsplash

It is “vehicle to grid”, not EVs themselves, that are important to fight global warming

Electric cars are half as bad for global warming as a petrol car, and about a third better than a hybrid.1 That doesn’t mean that EVs are a big fuss over nothing. Their real environmental starring role is not as cars, but as battery storage units that happens to move.

Energy demand peaks every evening, and in winter. EVs can solve the former peak, although not the latter. The perfect energy source is “dispatchable”, which means you can turn it on and off easily. Batteries and gas-fired power stations can do this. Nuclear, solar and wind turbines cannot.

This is how the system should work…

Sorry, but this one is for paying subscribers. You will get this and lots more if you sign up…

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Tim Leunig
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture