Europe could save around €10.6 billion in electricity distribution grid investment by 2030 by using intelligent electric vehicle (EV) charging management, according to a Siemens modelling study commissioned by EIT Urban Mobility, ChargeUp Europe and ACEA, Review Energy reported.
The study estimates that meeting the additional electricity demand from the projected growth in electric vehicles would require about €24.7 billion in grid reinforcement. Intelligent management of EV charging could reduce the investment requirement to around €14.1 billion by allowing existing grid capacity to be used more efficiently.
The findings are part of the Electricity Grids in Europe study, which assesses the impact of rising battery electric passenger cars and light commercial vehicles on electricity distribution networks across the EU27 and three EEA countries.
Siemens modelled six urban archetypes across 64 cities to examine how grid investment, digitalisation and flexible EV charging could support the transition to zero-emission mobility.
The study found that EV load management, which enables charging power to be adjusted in near real time, can help prevent networks from becoming overloaded during periods of peak demand. Combined with digitalised grids and the necessary communications and measurement infrastructure, the approach can increase the utilisation of existing network capacity.
However, the study noted that intelligent charging will not remove the need for physical grid upgrades.
EV adoption is expected to put increasing pressure on distribution networks as more vehicles shift from conventional fuels to electricity. Under the Siemens model, battery electric vehicles are expected to account for 27.3% of Sweden’s passenger car fleet by 2030, compared with 15.7% in Germany, 4.6% in Italy, 4.5% in Spain and 2.5% in Poland.
These figures represent increases of between 3.4 and 5.3 times from 2024 levels in the markets covered by the analysis.
Electrification is also expected to accelerate in commercial transport. Battery electric light-duty vehicles could account for 22.7% of the fleet in Sweden, 9.1% in Germany and 5.9% in Poland by 2030. Poland’s electric van fleet is projected to increase almost tenfold during the period.
The study said the expansion of electric commercial fleets will increase the need for adequate charging capacity at logistics depots and other locations.
Residential charging is expected to be another major source of pressure on local grids. The model estimates that 55–62% of EV owners could have access to residential charging by 2030, based on housing characteristics and projected EV adoption.
The analysis covered residential, workplace, public, en-route and depot charging, with the six urban archetypes represented by Stockholm, Munich, Barcelona, Rome, Kiel and Kraków.
Across the 64 urban centres, battery electric vehicle numbers are projected to increase 3.8 times by 2030. Every centre analysed is expected to require some level of grid reinforcement to accommodate the additional electricity demand.
The largest investment requirement is expected at the low-voltage level, which is projected to account for 77.7% of physical grid reinforcement investment, driven largely by the expansion of residential EV charging.
The findings highlight the importance of combining targeted grid reinforcement with digitalisation and intelligent charging management as Europe expands electric mobility.
