Rugby MP Mark Pawsey visited fast growing local business Off Grid Energy to find out more about its technological solutions to the challenges that the future uptake of electric vehicles will pose.
As a Member of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee Mark is looking closely at the development of electric vehicles. The Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into developing the market for electric vehicles, and the infrastructure requirements that would come from the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
Off Grid Energy has developed a range of Battery Energy Storage Systems which work in conjunction with the existing grid infrastructure which can provide peak demand support to the grid. This scheme was initially developed to help meet the challenge of charging large numbers of electric vehicles, and works through smart communication with the vehicle charging points and the grid infrastructure to mitigate the load that mass electric vehicle charging can have on the grid infrastructure.
Speaking after visiting Off Grid Energy in Rugby, Mark said:
“One of the key challenges that the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee is looking at in relation to the take up of electric vehicles is the additional pressure that charging large numbers of electric vehicles could have on the National Grid. Such a volume of new demand would undoubtedly require a solution and I was thrilled to discover that here in Rugby, Off Grid Energy has come up with a potential solution.”
Mark continued:
“I was very interested to find out how Off Grid have approached answering the questions that the Select Committee is asking in our inquiry. Alongside charging directly from the National Grid, the Battery Energy Storage Systems can also be supplemented with renewable energy sources such as solar, which is built directly into the unit. This provides a forward thinking model which I hope can be adopted more widely.”
Mark concluded:
“The West Midlands is poised to take advantage of the growth of electric vehicles, with investment taking place here in Rugby. Alongside the existing London EV Company, whose new generation of electric London Taxis are already operating on the streets of the capital, we have had the announcement that Meggitt are to build a new £130 million plant at Ansty to develop modern battery storage technology. I was very pleased to see that smaller businesses, such as Off Grid Energy, are also taking advantage of this new area and leading the way in the UK’s electric vehicle revolution.”
Danny Jones, founder and CEO of Off Grid Energy added:
“Energy storage has a significant role to play in enabling the continued uptake of electric vehicles, and meeting the challenge of charging large numbers of fleet. Our technology represents a cost effective and quick to deploy solution where there are limitations on the availability of grid power for charging; whether that be for temporary or permanent situations. As a small growing business based in Rugby which has a proud heritage of innovation and manufacturing excellence in electrical engineering, it has been a pleasure to have Mark’s support and to see that his work at Westminster has such specific relevance to what we do.”