Slide 1: Introduction.

            This chapter develops how the electric vehicle and artificial intelligence are creating an electrical demand so high that it can end the ecological transition.

Slide 2: Electricity Demand.

• Demand for electricity is skyrocketing.

            Due to the development of artificial intelligence, battery factories, large data centers and the electric vehicle.

            And there are countries that may not be prepared for this reality. One of them is the USA.

• All this energy demand is not only putting electrical networks to the limit, but is also destroying climate objectives.

            According to an analysis by The New York Times, which has sounded the alarm at what they believe is a turning point.

• Energy is generated in a few specific places.

            Yet our air-conditioned homes, businesses, and factories are everywhere.

            The problem is not so much that we consume a lot, but that we all do it at the same time. It is in the warmest hours that, let's say, everyone turns on the air conditioning and more demand is generated.

            The electrical grid of any country is not designed to be able to support an enormous synchronized demand, all at the same time, in a specific manner, but rather based on the diversity of demand.

            They are the high voltage lines, and the others, that are responsible for carrying energy from the production plants to all corners of the country. These lines, however, are still cables and have limited capacity.

• The problem is that its capacity decreases when it is hot.

            This is compounded by the fact that the more energy it carries, the hotter it gets.

            The metal conductor of the line expands and causes it to fall. In extreme cases, if the line drops too much, it can come into contact with the ground, causing a short circuit and ending the line's ability to carry power.

            And in these episodes we cannot resort to renewable energies, such as wind or hydroelectric power, either.

            This is where other production centers, such as nuclear, thermal and gas, take over.

            With that line out of service, other lines have to pick up the load, but they also become overloaded and are prone to the same problem. Additionally, as the amount of energy carried by these lines increases, the amount of energy lost through them due to heat also increases.

            In this scenario, the forecasts are not very favorable in the United States: "It is expected that maximum demand in summer will grow by 38,000 megawatts throughout the country in the next five years, according to an analysis by the consulting firm Grid Strategies, which is like adding another California to the network.

Slide 3: It is too hot and there are more and more centers that demand energy 24 hours a day.

• The United States is facing a serious problem in its electrical grid.

            Data centers, cryptomining and the expansion of artificial intelligence at the hands of giants such as Amazon, Apple, Google or Microsoft are catapulting the weak electrical grid in states like Georgia, where demand is now 17 times greater than a decade ago. Not to mention the problems facing Texas, the frying pan of North America.

• Tesla asked its customers not to recharge their car batteries in last summer's heat waves.

            As was the case in Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas asked residents to limit electricity use between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. during the recent heat wave.

            The system is being taken to extremes that could lead to electricity rationing.

• In California electric vehicles could soon account for 10% of peak energy demand.

            The global electric vehicle charging infrastructure market is expected to reach $125.39 billion by 2030, from $25,000 currently.

Slide 4: Electricity Demand.

• A study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

            It estimated that to meet the charging needs projected for 2030, a cumulative investment of between $31 billion and $55 billion will be needed for about 1.2 million publicly accessible charging units, in addition to about 28 million domestic charging units.

Slide 5: The electric vehicle paradox.

• And this is where we return to the paradox of the electric vehicle, which includes semiconductor and battery factories, since its demand is also contributing to an unprecedented increase in electricity.

            To meet it and avoid a blackout scenario, utilities in states including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia are proposing to build dozens of power plants over the next 15 years that would burn natural gas.

            Something that would not help the United States decarbonization goal of generating all electricity from pollution-free sources, such as wind, solar and nuclear, by 2035.

Slide 6: Renewable energies.

• Once again, the problem lies in the bureaucratic nightmare that surrounds renewables.

            A data center can be built in just one year, it can take five years or more to connect renewable energy projects to the grid, and a decade to build some of the long-distance power lines they require.

• According to data collected by The Washington Post, the 2,700 data centers in the United States.

            They consumed more than 4% of the country's total electricity in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency. And by 2026 it will be 6%.

• So the solution is to ease the procedures to install more renewable energy.

            More high-voltage transmission lines, rejuvenate the electrical grid, and even more importantly, limit the number of data centers and factories in a single state; at least 75 data centers have been opened in Virginia alone since 2019.

Slide 7: Vehicle fleets.

• Net zero emissions cycle.

            The net emissions cycle is the polluting emissions from the moment the electricity is generated until the consumption in the electric vehicle.

            Currently, the different international standards do not include polluting emissions from vehicle manufacturing, and battery manufacturing and recycling.

            Due to the development of artificial intelligence, battery factories, large data centers and electric vehicles, electricity consumption has skyrocketed.

            If this electricity is generated with fossil fuels, the net emissions cycle of the electric vehicle is not zero, the vehicle pollutes due to energy generation.

            To ensure that the net emissions cycle in an electric vehicle is zero, energy generated by renewable energies such as wind, solar, or hydraulic must be consumed.

• The paradox of the electric vehicle.

            Electric vehicles are purchased in the fleet to have a zero emissions cycle, but they are polluted by the generation of electricity if it is generated with fossil fuels, in addition to the manufacturing of the vehicle, and the manufacturing and recycling of the batteries.

            Currently, electric vehicle manufacturers are making investments so that the energy consumed in the manufacturing of the vehicle, and the manufacturing and recycling of the batteries, is from renewable energy.

• Climate change.

            Due to climate change, more and more heat waves are occurring, which can overload the electrical grid and cause electricity rationing at certain times of the day.

In any case, it is not that the charging of electric cars is going to cause the electrical grid to fail, but as these become more and more numerous and heat waves become more common, we could see messages similar as Tesla in Texas.            

            The objective will be to avoid too much simultaneous demand and prevent rationing or collapse.

            If we have electric vehicles in the fleet, we must have an emergency recharging plan in heat waves. We must take into consideration that if the vehicles cannot be used, the service cannot be provided.

            At night the aggregate demand on the electrical grid is the minimum and there are no power outages.

            In a fleet of vehicles, the vehicles must always be recharged at our facilities. It is not recommended to recharge at public or third-party chargers because they may not work, they may be busy, and during the time of recharging the vehicle is not being used to provide the service.

            It is always recommended to always recharge at night at the most economical rate, and with the slowest charge possible so as not to degrade the battery.

            One solution is to have solar panels and seasonal batteries in our facilities to store energy from solar energy and the electrical grid, in case of a power outage. It is an expensive solution, but it may be feasible if there are many power outages with waves, of heat, or in those countries with many supply cuts such as underdeveloped countries.

            Another solution is to have electricity generators to recharge vehicles, this solution is an emergency and pollutes.

Slide 8: Thank you for your time.

            This chapter has developed how artificial intelligence, battery factories, large data centers and electric vehicles are skyrocketing energy consumption, which may mean that the net emissions cycle of electric vehicles will not be zero if the energy, it comes from fossil fuels, and you must have an emergency plan to recharge electric vehicles in case of heat waves and power outages.