A large-scale study of the impact of future unregulated EV charging on low voltage grids

The surge in electric vehicle (EV) adoption prompts crucial questions regarding the resilience and capacity of low voltage (LV) grids to meet the escalating demands of widespread EV charging. This study investigates the dynamic landscape of EV charging and its implications on LV networks in a federal state in Austria, shedding light on the resilience and capacity of the networks. In examining two EV charging use cases: private EV charging with car sharing, and fleet charging, the study delves into the specific dynamics of each use case. Additionally, the integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems and heat pumps (HPs), which will constitute a substantial proportion of electricity generation and consumption respectively in the future are examined. While quasi-dynamic load flow calculations show severe network violations in voltage and line/transformer loading in over 75% of the LV networks by the year 2040, the problems are exacerbated in worst-case load flow calculations. The seamless integration of PV is hindered by the mismatch between EV charging times and PV generation periods.