The Growing Need for Supply Capacity in Electric Vehicle Charging

As businesses transition to electric vehicles (EVs), they face a significant challenge: ensuring sufficient supply capacity for vehicle charging. This is especially complex when it comes to heavy vehicles, where rapid charging demands can strain existing power infrastructure.

A Challenging Transition for Businesses

The push towards electric vehicles is accelerating, driven by government incentives and regulations. In some urban areas, fossil fuel vehicles are restricted, making the transition to EVs even more critical. However, with this growing need for EVs comes a growing need for charging infrastructure, particularly for heavy vehicles.

Charging large electric vehicles while loading or unloading at distribution centers may seem ideal, but it often strains the property’s power supply. Increasing supply capacity can be prohibitively expensive, leaving many businesses struggling to keep up.

The Challenges of Fast Charging Heavy Vehicles

Unlike traditional internal combustion engines, which allow for rapid refueling at any gas station, electric heavy vehicles face greater obstacles. Fast charging these vehicles can require up to 350 kW of power, placing significant demand on local power grids. This is particularly challenging in areas already operating near maximum grid capacity, such as industrial zones and key highway locations.

Rethinking Grid Capacity: A Modern Solution

Traditionally, expanding the grid involved building more infrastructure. But with modern technology, there’s a smarter way to meet growing energy demands: energy storage solutions (ESS). By storing energy during off-peak hours, businesses can use this stored power to meet peak consumption needs, reducing grid strain and avoiding costly upgrades.

In industrial settings, energy can be stored in batteries or as hydrogen overnight, ready to be deployed when heavy vehicles need to charge. This allows businesses to plan charging schedules and avoid waiting for chargers, maximizing efficiency.

Cost-Effective Solutions for Grid Expansion

Developing the grid to handle heavy vehicle charging is expensive, and the cost is often passed on to the party requesting the upgrade. However, for expansions of this magnitude, it’s likely that taxpayers will need to contribute to avoid stalling the electrification process.

The most cost-effective way to increase grid capacity is by buffering energy. Energy storage allows businesses to meet charging demands at a lower cost and provides opportunities to participate in ancillary markets during off-hours. This approach reduces the need for extensive grid expansion while supporting other off-grid services for added resilience.

The Role of Solar Power in EV Charging

For businesses with high energy consumption, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are an excellent way to offset electricity costs. While exporting energy to the grid can generate revenue, it’s often more profitable to use solar power to reduce onsite consumption.

With the unpredictable timing of vehicle charging, it’s difficult to size a PV system to meet these demands without exporting excess energy. However, by pairing solar panels with energy storage, businesses can store excess power and release it when needed, increasing self-sufficiency and boosting power delivery capacity.

How TGN Energy Can Help

At TGN Energy, we specialize in providing smart energy solutions that help businesses manage the challenges of vehicle charging. Our energy storage systems, solar power integration, and intelligent energy management tools ensure that businesses can expand their EV infrastructure without the need for costly grid upgrades.