Impact of EV Regionalisation on Network Reinforcement Requirements

The transition towards clean and efficient transport through electric mobility poses many new technical challenges to the modern electricity networks. As the penetration of electric vehicles increases, Distribution System Operators are required to ensure that the integration of the necessary infrastructure does not pose a threat to the safe and reliable operation of the network. Therefore, adequate representation of future scenarios is required to assess the impact on the distribution network. In some case studies, Distribution System Operators apply a homogenous or load scaling distribution (alongside forecasted electric vehicle penetration numbers) to represent the integration of electric vehicles and respective private and public charging stations within the network. However, such an even distribution may not depict reality, since various economic and social factors which highly influence electric vehicle adoption are not considered. This may lead to a misrepresentation of the necessary localised network reinforcement requirements within low voltage network. This paper aims to assess the impact of an electric vehicle regionalisation method on the necessary network reinforcement strategies in comparison to a traditional planning approach based on a technical and economic perspective.