How to Integrate Electric Vehicles in the Future Energy System?

Abstract

Main challenges within the energy system of tomorrow are more volatile, less controllable and at the same time more decentralized electricity generation. Furthermore, the increasing research and development activities on electric vehicles (EV) make a significant share of electric vehicles within the passenger car fleet in 2030 more and more likely. This will lead to a further increase of power demand during peak hours. Answers to these challenges are seen, besides measures on the electricity supply side (e.g. investing in more flexible power plants or storage plants), in (1) grid extensions, which are expensive and time consuming due to local acceptance, and in (2) influencing electricity demand by different demand side management (DSM) approaches. Automatic delayed charging of electric vehicles as one demand side management approach can help to avoid peaks in household load curves and, even more, increase the low electricity demand during the night. This facilitates integrating more volatile regenerative power sources, too. Bidirectional charging (V2G) and storing of electricity extends the possibilities to integrate electric vehicles into the grid. But, comparing electricity storage costs and availability of electric vehicles with costs and technical conditions of other technologies leads to the conclusion, that vehicle to grid (V2G) is currently not competitive—but might be competitive in the future, e.g. within the electricity reserve market. In summary, the chapter gives an overview of the future electricity market with the focus on electric vehicles and argues for automatic delayed charging of electric vehicles due to economic and technical reasons.