A study by Siemens, commissioned by EIT Urban Mobility, ChargeUp Europe and the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), revealed that Europe needs 24.7 billion euros of investment in electricity distribution networks by 2030 to keep up with the growth of electric vehicles. The analysis, titled Electricity Grids in Europe, assessed the impact of electric cars on the distribution networks of the 27 EU member states and three European Economic Area countries, having been applied to 64 urban centers representative of six types of cities.
The study indicates that this figure can be reduced to around 14.1 billion euros through the use of intelligent charge management systems, allowing approximately 10.6 billion euros in investments to be avoided. The greatest pressure will fall on low-voltage networks, which should concentrate 77.7% of the necessary physical investment, mainly due to residential charging of electric vehicles. It is estimated that between 55% and 62% of electric vehicle owners in the analyzed cities will have access to residential charging in 2030.
Regarding cities on the Iberian Peninsula, the study estimates investments of around 200 million euros in Barcelona, 100 million in Madrid, Seville, Valencia and Zaragoza, without the use of intelligent systems. Lisbon appears with an estimate of around 500 million euros, placing the Portuguese capital among the southern European cities with the greatest need for investment in distribution network reinforcement.
The study's authors emphasize that electric car adoption is expected to accelerate significantly in the coming years, with battery electric passenger cars reaching a 27.3% share in Sweden and 15.7% in Germany by 2030. Sigrid de Vries, ACEA's director-general, stated that "vehicles are only part of the equation," arguing that electricity grids must keep pace with the growth of electric vehicles. Lucie Mattera, from ChargeUp Europe, highlighted that network reinforcement and charging infrastructure expansion "must go hand in hand," although there is "very significant savings potential" through digitalization.
