The report’s projections show Europe’s EV fleet growing from its current base of less than 5 million to 65 million by 2030 and then doubling over the following five years. EY estimates that the continent will need 65 million chargers to fuel these cars, trucks, and buses.
Europe’s rapid adoption of electric vehicles presents two large tasks for utility providers. The first is to build a network of 9 million out-of-home chargers along roadways, at workplaces, and at fleet-charging hubs. There are about 445,000 public connectors installed across Europe.
In addition to overseeing the installation of millions of chargers, Europe’s utility industry will need to manage an increased load on the grid. Along highway corridors, where drivers will expect fast charging on demand, EVs could increase peak loads by 90%, according to EY’s calculations. Managing these surges, will require on-site solar and energy storage systems at charging stations.
In urban residential settings, EY expects charging demand to surge in the evenings, when drivers return from work, causing potential increases in peak load of 86%. To smooth these peaks electricity providers will need to offer incentives for drivers to charge at off-peak times and to put power from car batteries back into the grid, meaning both homes and cars will need two-way charging capabilities. With such mitigations in place, according to the report, utilities could reduce EV demand spikes by more than a fifth.