The Silent Strain: Where Will We Find the Power for Millions of EVs?

Electric vehicles are on the rise – and so is the invisible pressure on Europe’s power grids.

Only 3% of cars and less than 1% of lorries in the EU are electric today. But as those numbers climb, the demand for charging will skyrocket. The challenge isn’t just about building more chargers – it’s about making sure enough electricity is available where and when it’s needed.

Here’s the problem: we don’t yet know where the charging will happen, how much power will be needed, or when the peaks will hit. But they will hit.

Charging demand will spike:

• Daily, in residential garages after work.

• Seasonally, when holiday traffic surges on motorways.

• Randomly, when fleets of trucks arrive at logistics hubs all at once.

If a large share of trucks require 300 kW or even 1 MW to charge, existing grid stations may be overwhelmed. In some areas, there is no spare capacity at all.

To prevent a future of overloaded networks and stranded vehicles, stakeholders need new kinds of planning tools – tools that map charging demand, calculate battery storage needs, enable vehicle-to-grid integration, and monitor infrastructure usage.

These digital services are currently being developed by the SBEES project – a cross-border collaboration aimed at ensuring Europe’s charging infrastructure keeps pace with electrification.

Whether you work in energy, logistics, urban planning or infrastructure development:The electricity may not be where you need it tomorrow – unless we plan for it today.

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