A successful transition to eMobility will depend on delivering a seamless customer experience with a robust charging infrastructure that allows everyone to charge quickly and reliably.

Grid capacity will have to transform to resolve unpredictable EV charging and increased load

That’s according to a new report from EY and European energy industry body Eurelectric that says acceleration in EV adoption will need to be underpinned by a resilient grid supported by digital solutions.

Its new publication on ‘Can utilities turn EVs into a grid asset?’ examines the anticipated surge in EVs, from around five million passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and heavy duty vehicles today, to 130 million vehicles by 2035.

But to support such a shift, a robust infrastructure that allows customers to charge quickly and reliably is critical.

Maria Bengtsson, electric EY UK vehicle lead, said: “Electrifying road transport is critical for the UK to meet our tough emissions targets. In order to achieve this, all elements of the eco system will have to move forward in tandem and at pace. For the infrastructure, this means successfully rolling out charging infrastructure in all parts of the UK and creating grid flexibility so that grid capacity does not become a bottleneck.”

Its research looks at how to move from a scenario where EVs are a grid liability to grid asset and finds that grid capacity will have to transform to resolve unpredictable EV charging and increased load. It also says distribution system operators (DSOs) with oversight of the entire network are critical to the success of eMobility.

To deal with the imminent rollout of 130 million EVs, the report calculates that the predicted surge in EVs will warrant at least 65 million charge points, of which nine million will be public, up from 374,000 today. Electricity demand from charging is also expected to grow by 30% per year, adding over 200TWh by the end of this decade.

According to the report however, any destabilising impact will not come from demand growth, but rather from thousands or even millions of EVs attempting to charge simultaneously.

Grids that are already heavily loaded in multiple areas could become bottlenecks if peak EV charging periods coincide with peaks in general load. Analysis of the six most common charging use cases – residential rural, residential urban, workplace, fleet hubs, overnight and highways – shows that peak load will increase by between 21% and 90%.

But deploying smart grids will provide DSOs with real-time information about the grids they operate and the ability to analyse current and future needs. This data will help them to determine investment in grid reinforcement or flexibility solutions to cater for EVs.

And incorporating digital solutions will enable DSOs to control the available capacity, time and duration of charging and shift EV charging to times to when grid energy is plentiful and cheap, thereby preventing the grid from buckling under the pressure.

Kristian Ruby, Eurelectric secretary general, said: “With EV numbers set to grow exponentially by 2035, we must ensure that the roll-out of charging infrastructure happens at similar speed, while we continue to reinforce and modernise our grids. The task ahead will require a massive effort from all players, but I remain convinced that we will create a successful shift to a cleaner, greener and more exciting mobility paradigm in Europe.”

The report also says the critical need to massively accelerate the deployment of charging infrastructure in line with EV adoption will require widespread collaboration between municipalities, local authorities, city planners, charge point operators, eMobility service providers, automakers and DSOs.

To access the report, click here.