Agora Study: Facilitating Grid Connection for Electric Cars and Trucks

Pragmatic measures could accelerate the connection of charging stations for battery-electric vehicles to the power grid and make the operation of charging infrastructure more economically attractive. This is the conclusion of an analysis conducted by the Berlin-based think tank Agora Verkehrswende together with its partner organizations Agora Energiewende and Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP). According to the analysis, network operators should be required, for example, to publish information about available grid capacities on an online map and to offer variable tariffs for the use of the grids at higher voltage levels.

“If Germany is to become a lead market for electromobility, the expansion of charging infrastructure must also proceed as quickly and cost-efficiently as possible,” says Wiebke Zimmer, Deputy Director of Agora Verkehrswende. “Currently, the connection procedures are unnecessarily complicated; the costs for connection and operation also cause potential investors and operators to hesitate. By accelerating the ramp-up of electromobility, Germany can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in traffic and strengthen the competitiveness of the automotive industry.”

Growing Demand Due to Electrification of Road Traffic

The paper is aimed particularly at traffic experts, as questions regarding the grid connection of charging points for electric vehicles have so far mainly been discussed from the perspective of network operators and regulatory authorities. In order to develop viable solutions, stakeholders from various industries and sectors should be able to participate in the discussion.