German utility EnBW starts field test on how e-cars effect grid

Utility EnBW starts a field test to find out how a large number of electric cars in a concentrated area affect grid stability, Susanne Preuß and Thiemo Heeg write in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “What happens if everyone plugs in their car when they come home in the evening?” is one of the most pressing questions the test is supposed to answer, the article says. The power grid can only be kept stable if the same amount of electricity that is withdrawn is simultaneously fed in again, which is why grid operators have to know the demand pattern of e-car users in as much detail as possible, the authors write. The company provides the e-cars, from BMW to Tesla, to ten families in Ostfildern near Stuttgart for six months. The neighbourhood has been chosen since it represents “a typical suburban residential area,” where people on average commute a lot.

See the CLEW dossier The energy transition and Germany’s power grid for more information.