INTRODUCTION
A new era of e-mobility has started.
While automakers are continually developing electric vehicles, most attention is focused on the EV charging infrastructure, which is currently lacking.
Global EV sales climbed 80% in 2021. EVs reduce exhaust emissions and push the grid to migrate to a higher percentage of renewable energy. Despite this global drive, EV sales reach 7.2% in 2021, and this fast growth is continuing in 2022.
"The electric revolution has begun!."
A new era of e-mobility has started.
While automakers are continually developing electric vehicles, most attention is focused on the EV charging infrastructure, which is currently lacking.
Global EV sales climbed 80% in 2021. EVs reduce exhaust emissions and push the grid to migrate to a higher percentage of renewable energy. Despite this global drive, EV sales reach 7.2% in 2021, and this fast growth is continuing in 2022.
AMOUNT OF CHARGING POINTS
Building enough charging stations in the correct areas and having a reliable electric grid are two significant problems for future-proofing EV charging infrastructure.
“Where are charging points needed?”
According to studies in the US and Europe, most everyday driving is a short distance. The average daily drive in Germany is 32 kilometers, which is similar to other nations. Given that virtually every electric car has a range of at least 100 kilometers even doubling this figure can meet the demands of most EV owners. Home or office chargers are usually sluggish and only usable overnight. If e-mobility is to adapt truly, it must focus on making charging more accessible. This will also enable the adoption of EV cars for non-homeowners.
We need a combination of home, work, and public charging, with public charging delivering a charge at the same low cost for non-homeowners as for homeowners.
EXPENSES OF THE EV CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE
Infrastructure is the main factor affecting charging station costs. For example, connecting to an existing 240-volt circuit may take a few hours of effort, and however, building a 480-volt line may cost tens of thousands. An electrical improvement may require more panels, meters, or even a transformer, and a power line improvement may entail drilling, trenching, and cementing.
Public stations will also require parking spaces, parking signs, and protective bollards.
Currently charging stations are rarer than regular gas stations due to high investment costs and challenging infrastructure construction. The cost of a commercial EV charging infrastructure station ranges from $6,000 per port to $50,000 for a fast charger (not counting infrastructure expenditures), plus other expenses like licenses and regulations.
Charging at home or work poses additional issues, such as dealing with multi-tenant buildings, grid connection management, and charging slot availability. This reduces the number of operable charging points and discourages consumers from switching to EVs. A major challenge is to support properties with no off-road parking with no ability to install their own charger. On-street parking/charging infrastructure needs to develop to support this market with overnight charging capacity.
INCENTIVES/REGULATIONS
Charging electric vehicles (EV charging infrastructure) as a specialized service (e.g., a municipality) or as a bonus for employees (e.g., supermarket car parks) is eligible for commercial charging incentives (e.g., workplace charging). Incentives for EV charging infrastructure are provided across Europe to install available infrastructure. Several incentives (depending on the country) are based on consumption, such as charging stations for big freight trucks or corporations and public building charging stations. These incentives vary from subsidies, government reimbursements, and tax breaks.
The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) has pledged 1 billion EUR towards the future development of public charging infrastructure in Germany by the end of 2025. The plan is to install 50,000 charging stations (including at least 20,000 fast charging points).
Another approach is to force new homeowners to include charging stations. New projects already have mandated charging station legislation in place, and various sources say most governments will follow suit. New public networks are springing up everywhere with increased EV sales and government incentives. We must make sure to not discriminate against rural areas, an effort to assure charging station density in urban and rural locations should be considered in the planning phase.
SMARTCHARGING AND VEHICLE TO GRID (V2G)
Smart EV Charging Management, or intelligent management of EV charging infrastructure, is the key to making the power system more reliable.
When plugged into a regular charger, the energy needed to charge an electric car comes from the grid. The network will be strained if all EV owners do this at night. Cars usually sit idle 95% of the time.
Smart and flexible charging technology leverages unused power from car batteries (V2G) to supplement the grid’s supply during peak demand or automatically stops or decreases charging power. It also allows users to recharge at off-peak hours at a lower cost, lowering grid congestion and consumer costs.
The charging system can better predict abrupt peaks in electricity consumption by allowing EV owners to plan to charge based on power limits, price, and priority. The technology also allows the grid to enhance capacity, minimize grid system stress, and avoid energy price spikes.
Energy Management systems connect generating (solar or wind power) and demand (EV charging, HVAC, and lighting) assets to a single digital platform. The Internet of Things (IoT) and AI-driven algorithms maximize renewable energy usage while decreasing operating expenses and system investments. To balance the Energy Load and assure continuous energy supply availability at an acceptable market price, EV and stationary storage can be co-optimized with other grid assets.
DEFECTIVE EV CHARGERS
Public charging facilities sometimes disappoint EV drivers. This may come from many areas. May it be the lack of charger capacity. Out of Order chargers waiting for maintenance and repair, weakening trust in the electric car transition.
Another critical point is the range provided by the car itself. This can be much reduced on a long road trip at higher speeds and can take drivers a little by surprise. Also, the last 20% of the charge takes much longer. So in most cases, drivers are not charging to 100% capacity in the first place, which further reduces the available range.
Too often, public fast-charging stations charge at far slower rates than claimed, are broken upon arrival, or fail to charge when plugged in. Drivers encounter too many obstacles to charge reliably in Europe and other key EV markets internationally.
Drivers who frequently struggle to recharge their EVs are deterrents. As a result, reliability concerns must be solved to avoid deterring EV adoption. To improve driver and community experience, it is vital to increase EV charging dependability and availability. It is critical to prioritize maintenance and operation in addition to establishing more charging stations.
CONCLUSION
Charging at home and work are two simple problems. Homeowners and businesses will have no excuse not to install EV chargers if they are economical and come with government subsidies or tax breaks.
Shopping malls, restaurants, and hotels invest in EV charging (destination charging) to improve customer experience. It is logical to think they will also increase the amount of available charge points.
The key aim for governments and companies will be to construct more public charging stations or networks where people may use them instead of charging at home.
New projects (in some regions) already have mandated charging station legislation in place. Various sources say most governments will follow suit. New public networks are springing up everywhere with increased EV sales and government incentives. The present difference between charging station density in urban and rural locations should be considered in planning.
The necessity for a reliable and functioning charging network that will enable EV adoption. Improving charging infrastructure construction, operation, and more focus on uptime and preventative maintenance will help make EVs more accessible to fleets and the public.