Nadege Petit, chief innovation officer, Schneider Electric, & Bassem Ammouri, chief operating officer, EV Connect look at the importance of infrastructure for electric vehicles.

Although flying cars may still seem like science fiction, a new automotive revolution has arrived with electric vehicles (EV). With electric car sales nearing 14 million in 2023, a sixfold increase since 2018, EV growth is positioned to persist as electric car markets mature.

Both new entrants and traditional automotive players have invested huge sums in EV development to win market share. This has resulted in far greater choice for consumers and continuous technological improvement. In 2022, the number of EV models available reached 500, more than double the number four years earlier.

Although EVs have faced some speed bumps on the road to mass adoption, the market continues to grow steadily. EV sales are projected to reach approximately 17 million in 2024, representing a significant increase of over 20% compared to 2023. This growth is part of the continued global trend towards electrification in the automotive sector, driven by advancements in technology, increased affordability, and supportive policies.

Experts warn of a chasm forming between early adopters and a much broader market with different needs and concerns. Price cuts and government regulation alone won’t be enough to bridge this. Concerns such as total cost of ownership (including the increased cost of electricity), ‘range anxiety’, and ‘reliability anxiety’, have left consumers hesitant to go fully electric. In fact, 62% of consumers globally are waiting until EV technology improves before purchasing a new vehicle, with concerns over not just the availability of charging infrastructure but whether it can charge EVs efficiently without faults.

So, how do we bridge the chasm and help get the EV market back on track? Appealing to a more mainstream audience isn’t as simple as investing in more chargers. There needs to be greater grid investment, in addition to improving the speed and reliability of EV charging and lowering the total cost of EV ownership. Let’s explore this in more detail.

Speeding up grid resiliency

Power availability and grid capacity stand out as some of the biggest challenges to scaling up charging infrastructure. Improving this is vital for EVs to become widely adopted.

With 300 to 500 million EV connectors projected to be installed by 2040, there comes an urgent need to increase grid capacity and allow utilities to add power sources to the grid far quicker. Yet an ageing grid means a long queue for new assets—with renewables taking as many as 10 to 15 years to be connected.  

Speeding up the process requires greater investment in systems that can add this capacity and flexibility.  While it is true that the development of an efficient charging infrastructure can mitigate stress and energy overloads during peak times, it is not sufficient on its own. In addition, we must look to new technology such as microgrids, to quickly enable and integrate local renewable energy generation and storage.

Greater interoperability across vendors will also facilitate faster scaling for energy networks. As the grid becomes increasingly bi-directional, tech can operate seamlessly on both sides of the meter, from grid to plug and back again, to foster this flexibility and resiliency in a decentralised energy system.

Scaling charging infrastructure

Once we have secure and sustainable access to power for charging, there must be a concerted effort to scale reliable and accessible charging infrastructure. It is reported that 90% of EV chargers installed by 2040 will be in private settings— mainly in our residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, to cope with growing electricity demand from EVs.

With the right tech, any building can support charging infrastructure, but it frequently requires an update to a building’s electrical capabilities. To accommodate this, building owners and utility providers can form a beneficial working partnership for the deployment of connected technology and smart charging infrastructure. For example, smart software solutions can be implemented to balance energy loads, ensuring stability for both business-as-usual operations and EV charging. From this, grid operators can accurately adjust production to match power consumption and demand during peak times, enhancing operational efficiency around charging behaviour.

New technology can also increase the reliability of charging infrastructure. Real-time monitoring, analytics, and remote management capabilities provide valuable insight into performance and efficiency. This helps to swiftly address issues with faulty charging points and minimize energy disruption. Technology and software serve as a crucial bridge for operations and maintenance. Remote analysis and the ability to quickly trigger on-site support, including labor and parts, help to increase reliability for both EV owners and charge point operators. This comprehensive approach ensures the seamless integration of EV charging into our everyday routine.

Driving down energy costs

Once the infrastructure is established, consumers can reap the benefits of going electric with tangible cost incentives. Decarbonisation and electrification are driving new concepts like virtual power plants (VPPs) which orchestrate bidirectional energy sources that can be aggregated to provide power to the grid and reduce the dependency on bulk generation. By coordinating various distributed energy sources, like smart appliances, rooftop solar with batteries, EVs and chargers, VPPs can provide grid services like a traditional power plant and help with balancing supply and demand on the grid. This means consumers (commercial, industrial and residential) can not only consume but generate, produce and manage their own energy—important given higher electricity prices over petrol can put consumers off owning EVs, providing a barrier to widespread adoption.

EV owners can, for example, charge their vehicle from rooftop solar panel energy, which can significantly lower the cost of charging. They can then store that energy via battery storage and determine the best times to charge or sell any surplus energy back into the grid at peak times. This means not only greater control over energy costs, but also the opportunity to profit.

Smart charging helps reduce electricity costs by balancing loads and charging at times when electricity demand is lower. Innovative solutions can streamline EV owners’ ability to schedule, monitor and adapt charging times all in a single app, helping reduce energy consumption by as much as 30%. Remote supervision can also minimise maintenance costs for consumers by quickly identifying and addressing potential equipment faults.

Together, these technology-enabled benefits have the potential to generate significant savings for consumers—key considerations especially in times of economic volatility—and stimulate growth in the EV market.

The fast track to net zero

The transition to EVs will be paramount to the energy transition, but we need the right infrastructure in place to make this a viable and appealing choice for consumers. By leveraging innovative technologies across homes, commercial and industrial settings, we can increase the reliability, speed, and convenience of EV charging and ownership.

Solutions like these are vital to address some of the biggest barriers to mass adoption and give the EV market a second wind. With this, both operators and EV owners can be empowered to get ‘in the driver’s seat’ when it comes to managing their own infrastructure and opening the door for greater EV adoption.