Battery-electric vehicles put a strain on the power grid, especially at the low-voltage level. Even when a few cars are being charged at the same time, high charging capacities can overload the cables or the transformer. On the other hand, electric vehicles offer comparatively high flexibility with respect to charging time, charging duration and power. Intelligent controls can make use of this flexibility by remote access by the network operator, the charge point operator or local optimization. Therefore, intelligent control of the charging processes can not only avoid power grid overload, but also facilitate a higher use of renewable energy. Furthermore, the power electronic systems and the batteries in electric vehicles can provide system services for the grid; for example, they can supply the balancing energy for the regulatory power market. The demands on networking and controllability of charging systems are increasing.
In the future, electric vehicles and their charging infrastructure will be controllable, securely integrated into the system via smart meter gateways, bidirectional and interoperable. We work with our customers to create charging solutions fit for the future.