Executive summary The electrification of road transport is a major driver of decarbonisation in the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, and providing charging solutions will be crucial for supporting this transition. The power sector plays a key role in ensuring a secure supply of electricity for electric vehicle (EV) charging, and in taking advantage of EV flexibility through seamless integration with the power system. This manual is intended to support policy makers in assessing and mitigating the impacts of electric mobility on the power sector and designing strategies to leverage the flexibility of EVs. It provides key recommendations in four main areas: the readiness of institutions, impact assessment of EV charging, design of operational measures to integrate EVs as an energy resource, and power system planning.

Summary of policy recommendations to integrate EV charging into the grid

Preparing institutions for the shift to electric mobility While electric mobility is accelerating in many locations around the world, preparing institutions can help ensure that the shift to electric mobility happens efficiently by taking advantage of various synergies. Electric mobility is crosssectoral and requires institutions to engage with a wide variety of stakeholders from the mobility and power sectors as well as the building and real estate sectors. To engage efficiently across sectors and support planning, silos in ministries as well as in the industry need to be broken down. Policy makers can start preparing institutions by engaging electric mobility stakeholders by creating multidisciplinary working groups. Working groups serve as focal points where stakeholders can learn about the concerns and motivations of others, and where common frameworks can be developed to help push electric mobility forward. Policy makers can break silos by establishing co-operation at the policy-making level and designating contact persons to be in charge of cross-sectoral co-ordination so they can maximise synergies.

Alignment to be pursued among policy-making silos

Establish co-operation at the policy-making level Co-ordination on setting high-level targets for power system and transport development by senior policy makers in government departments and ministries can help set the precedent for co-ordinated planning in their respective sectors. Co-operation can also be formalised at the institutional level. For example, the Joint Office on Energy and Transportation in the United States has been created to co-ordinate planning between the energy and transport departments to ramp up electric mobility. It was created as part of the country’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021 to boost investment in infrastructure. By utilising the transport department’s rights-of-way, 4 the necessary grid expansions to power charging corridors could be accelerated through streamlined permitting and construction.

Gather data and develop insights Undertake travel surveys Determining typical vehicle use, daily travel and parking preferences through travel surveys can give huge insights into likely EV driving behaviour. Longer daily travel, such as for taxi segments, can require larger battery capacities and/or more frequent charging. Travel surveys can also provide insights into whether expanding electrified public transport, such as rail or buses, could be more cost-effective and impactful. For example, multiple paths along common routes can be an opportunity for public transport instead. Household travel surveys can form a solid basis for modelling, as has been validated for Switzerland. Such surveys can be coupled with EV registration databases, which take vehicle model specifications into account and provide insights into new sales and second-hand use. Travel surveys are already deployed in most advanced economies and in countries such as Chile and Thailand. As the electrification of transport progresses, however, the travel patterns of EVs can deviate from those of internal combustion engine vehicles. More precise information from EV users on their travel routes and charging patterns can help develop holistic insights for policy makers. More tailored surveys targeting EV users, such as that conducted by Enedis in France, can provide a better understanding of charging needs.

Public hosting capacity maps are already used by utilities in New Jersey, New York and California to show locations where grid capacities are available and can be approved. Proactively conducting the analyses and making them public allow CPOs to prioritise the development of charging points in areas where connections would be guaranteed, thus supporting EV uptake. Hosting capacity maps also help streamline the interconnection process and facilitates co-ordinated planning.

Varying local connection fees based on the available grid capacity can also serve as a locational signal. By passing a portion of the costs on to the CPO, they can then make a feasibility assessment of the charging station plans given possible higher charging rates. Making the connection fees more reflective of the needs of the grid can help avoid crowding in congested locations.

Vehicle-grid integration ecosystem and communication protocols

It is important to have a common communication protocol between the EVSE and the power system that is facilitated by managed charging actors. Currently, efforts are being made towards the global harmonisation of communication protocols, including those between EVs and EVSE, to aid in interoperability when crossing international borders. Standardised communication protocols bring about systemwide benefits but can also carry risks. Using insecure protocols that lack authentication and encryption can create entry points for cyberattacks. While it is not in the scope of this manual, policy makers should conduct a cybersecurity assessment and plan for mitigation measures for charging operations.

Co-ordinate EV charging with renewables Initial demand from EV charging may increase power sector emissions The addition of EV charging load into the power system entails a marginal generation requirement that may be fulfilled by technologies that produce more emissions. While EVs are generally considered cleaner than their internal combustion engine counterparts thanks to the higher efficiency of the conversion technology, their operating emissions are still dependent on the emissions intensity of the electricity used to charge them. IEA analysis shows that life cycle emissions are lower for EVs compared to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars only if the average emissions intensity of the electricity used to charge the EVs is less than 800 g CO₂-eq/kWh (if larger ICE cars are displaced by EVs of equivalent sizes) or less than 450 g CO₂-eq/kWh (if smaller ICE cars are displaced).

EV charging has strong potential synergies with renewables At the bulk energy level, load shifting of EV charging to more favourable times of the day can increase consumption and reduce the curtailment of transmissionconnected renewables, leading to a better business case. In Korea, for example, flexible EV charging of 30% of the expected EV fleet in 2035 could reduce operating costs by USD 21/MWh and peak costs by USD 18/MWh, corresponding to 21% and 30% of the costs, respectively. It could also lead to a 63% emissions reduction compared to a full internal combustion engine fleet. Matching the EV load to the availability of renewables could also provide a better business case for renewable energy developers by reducing curtailment.

There are also potential synergies at the distribution level. Currently, areas with significant penetration of rooftop solar PV can experience problems with high local voltage (overvoltage) due to the injected energy not being matched with consumption. These conditions often arise during sunny weekends when consumption is low and PV generation is high. On the other hand, simultaneous EV charging in the evening when consumption is high can cause the opposite effect of low voltage levels (undervoltage). Co-ordinating the operation of EV charging and solar PV could increase the mutual hosting capacity within a distribution grid by keeping delivery within the contractual voltage limits. For example, a modelling study in Sweden shows that the distribution grid could host a higher penetration 12 of EVs and distributed PVs when co-ordinated with a management system compared to when they are uncoordinated.

Improve planning practices Conduct proactive grid planning The typical process where grid operators respond to connection requests, in this case from EVSEs, can delay the rapid uptake of EVs. In some cases, connection requests can take from 6 months to over a year. Policy makers can streamline the interconnection process to help accelerate this process. As the number of EVs increases, the grid will eventually need to be reinforced and expanded. Reinforcing the grid to accommodate new load can take years for permitting and construction and can thereby slow down the electrification process. Additional new charging points can utilise the existing network. In many cases, however, fast-charging stations may require a new grid connection and grid reinforcement where the existing network capacity is constrained. The connection process from request to construction approval can be a lengthy procedure. Hence, proactively planning the grid can help anticipate the connection requests.

The electrification of road transport is a key pillar of the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario for reducing transport emissions. Emissions could be reduced by around 94% if electric mobility were ramped up from 11 million vehicles today to 2 billion in 2050. 1 By eliminating tailpipe emissions, EVs would also improve local air quality and result in health improvements for cities and communities. Electric mobility can also be a tool for energy security. By 2030, the global uptake of EVs could displace oil demand from 2 million barrels per day in the IEA’s Stated Policies Scenario to about 4.6 million barrels per day in the IEA’s Announced Pledges Scenario. 2 For many countries that are highly dependent on oil imports, electrifying transport could allow them to diversify and use domestic primary energy resources, such as hydro, solar and wind. The energy demand on the power systems would be significant but would only constitute a minor share of the countries’ electricity consumption. According to the Stated Policies Scenario, approximately 709 TWh of final electricity demand globally would be needed in 2030, equivalent to the total power generation of Canada and the Netherlands in 2019, but on average would only constitute 2.7% of individual countries’ total electricity generated.

Source:http://IEA