Plug-in vehicles for Smart Grids: What can and cannot be done with existing technology

There is much interest regarding the future possibilities - and risks - arising from integrating increasing numbers of plug-in vehicles with power system network operations, in particular demand-side management. There has been comparatively less enthusiasm directed towards addressing the question of what can and cannot be done with existing technology. This paper discusses what could be achieved and implemented using present technology only and a little innovative thinking - `recharging regimes' - and discusses the limitations of these approaches.