KSEB wants consumers to avoid charging e-vehicles during evening hours; electricity consumption at 108.22 mu on April 6
The Hindu
Kerala State Electricity Board urges consumers to avoid charging e-vehicles during peak evening hours to reduce power demand.
Electricity consumption in the State hit a record 108.22 million units (mu) on Saturday, prompting the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to urge consumers to avoid charging their e-vehicles during the evening hours when electricity demand is at its highest.
108.22 mu is an all-time high for the State. The maximum demand during the evening hours also rose to a record 5,364 megawatts (MW) on Saturday. Of this, power purchases from outside the State accounted for 2,800 MW, KSEB officials said.
On Sunday, the State-run power utility advised the consumers to either charge their vehicles during the day time or after midnight.
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“The number of electric vehicles is witnessing an increase in the State. Due to the charging of e-vehicles at night, the load on the transformers go up leading to blown fuses and power outages. Ideally, e-vehicles should be charged either after midnight or during the daytime,” the KSEB said.
Sweltering summer temperatures have driven power consumption up in the State, given the dependence on air-conditioners. Kerala has been steadily recording a daily consumption of 100 million units (mu) since March, although usage is slightly lesser on Sundays.
At the same time, the southern State is also witnessing a spurt in e-vehicles on the roads, especially two-wheelers, given the push for e-mobility.
Political economist Parakala Prabhakar has described the exit poll results as “fudged figures”, saying that those would benefit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) only. “False predictions were given with the sole objective of helping the NDA in rigging during the counting,” alleged Mr. Prabhakar, after releasing a book titled ‘Avineeti Chakravarthi Narendra Modi’ penned by former Minister Vadde Shobanadreeswara Rao, here, on June 2 (Sunday).