Analyzing the capacity of low voltage grids for electric vehicles

Due to the climate change and the scarcity of oil, electric vehicles will drastically gain popularity and market share over the next few years. During the introduction phase of electro mobility, most electric vehicles will be charged through the car owner's power outlet. This will lead to an increase of power consumption and loading of low voltage distribution grids. As a consequence transformers and power lines might get overloaded and under voltage problems might occur. The simulation model described in this paper calculates the number of electric vehicles that can be integrated into the power grid without overloading the electrical equipment and without causing under voltage problems. Different village, rural and suburban grids were being used for these calculations and the influence of the charging power was being investigated.