SolarMoves: The Impact on Grid Electricity Demand of VIPV

In this paper we study the impact of vehicle integrated photovoltaics (VIPV) in reducing the stress on the electricity grid in terms of the European BEV fleet. This is done by first determining the typical driving profiles of the different vehicle types, next by looking at the impact of the VIPV on vehicle level for these driving profiles, then the result on fleet level and finally by determining the corresponding energy demand on the grid compared to Electric Vehicles (EV’s) without VIPV. A series of 23 representative driving profiles and vehicle combinations has been assessed through simulations using TNO’s Energy Flow Model. The vehicles include passenger cars, small and large vans, buses and trucks. Two locations were considered, Amsterdam and Madrid, as well as vehicles with and without PV. The inclusion of VIPV is considered an ‘efficiency improvement’ for the electric vehicles and is assessed along with other vehicle efficiency improvements such as improved aerodynamics, lower rolling resistant tyres, LED lighting etc. Subsequently all improvements are placed on an expected timeline for implementation. We show that the addition of PV to the vehicles can have significant impact on grid electricity consumption, especially when combined with other vehicle efficiency improvements, resulting in a possible 27 TWh/year saving in grid electricity in the EU in 2030.