Range and infrastructure

What happens when everyone starts driving – and charging – electric vehicles. Will the power grid become overloaded?

There will be plenty of power for everyone – today and tomorrow. Around 520 terawatt hours of electricity are consumed each year in Germany. One million electric vehicles would use around 2.4 terawatt hours per year. This would increase the demand for electrical power by only 0.5%. But what about the power grids? After all, they will have to transmit the additional electricity required for e-vehicles. Studies conducted by utility companies show that the electricity networks can handle the extra load. Because it is unlikely that all e-car owners will be charging their vehicles at the same time. After all, we don't all use our washing machines on the same day either.

Utility companies are already installing additional lines and transformers to further stabilize the grids and lessen the impact of fluctuations. In the future, smart apps could be used to let car owners know when the power grid is reaching its limit. E-vehicles can also temporarily send power back into the grid if necessary.