Alternative Connections for Public EV Charging Points; Using existing Municipal Grid Connections and Objects for the installation of Public EV Charging Points

Abstract

The number of electric passenger vehicles (EVs) on the Dutch roads is growing rapidly. Currently there are about 90.000 EVs registered in the Netherlands and the ambition of the Dutch government is to have 2 million EVs in 2030. An important prerequisite for a continuous increase of electric transportation is a sufficient charging infrastructure for EVs. To achieve the ambitions of the government, it is estimated that the number of (semi-)public charging points must increase from 20.000 nowadays to over 700.000 in 2030. However, there are two problems related to the installation and operation of public charging stations; the business model is not profitable yet, and public space gets congested with public objects. A promising solution for these issues is to connect charging stations to already existing municipal grid connections, or to integrate them in existing public objects. The first idea might save money since only one grid connection is necessary for multiple objects; the second idea might result in less congested public space since multiple functions are integrated in the same object. However, these so called alternative connections for public charging stations have not been implemented at large scale yet since there is still a lot of uncertainty about the installation and operation of alternative connections in practice. Therefore, this research has tried to take away the uncertainties by looking at the technical, locational, legal/organizational and financial consequences of installing and using alternative connections. In this way it is investigated if alternative connections are a promising solution for the problems regarding public charging stations, so that a sufficient charging infrastructure for EVs can keep on being provided.