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The rising pressure on the grid
Europe is currently in the throes of its worst energy crisis since the 1970s. Prices are soaring, supply is low, and the system of energy production, storage and usage is stressed beyond the grid’s capacities. Add to this disaster the crisis of global warming, with the transportation sector generating circa 25% of Europe’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and we as a global community find ourselves in hot water.
That said, EU policies to limit GHG emissions and increasing public awareness of the urgent need to reduce our carbon footprint across a range of industries have resulted in a positive trend: exponential growth in the use and availability of Electric Vehicles (EVs). And while this spike in more sustainable transportation is certain to have positive effects on climate change, it also puts new pressure on the electricity grid, with a flood of demand from a vast community of cars that traditionally relied on fossil fuels.
The EV industry finds itself at a crucial crossroads. The challenge is to develop methods to efficiently charge a quickly increasing supply of EVs without putting an untenable load on the global-energy grid. Failing to do so could provoke significant and unprecedented issues for the network, and would require major — and majorly costly – infrastructure reinforcements.
New technologies have a vital part to play
While times of crisis often produce conservatism across the political and public sector, these moments offer profound opportunities for private businesses to lead the way with proactivity and progressive thinking.
Smart charging is precisely this kind of solution. Smart Charging can be described as the ability to control the distribution of energy to the charger – based on parameters such as demand, energy sources, or –prices. This type of intelligent energy management has great significance, not only to EV drivers wanting to e.g. charge greener or cheaper, but to society in its entirety.
Ultimately, Smart Charging means more control, and increased benefit, for the planet at large and for both sides of the EV-charging equation, enabling both users and operators to mitigate the monumental impact of skyrocketing demand, and exploit a more efficient and flexible operation of the energy system.