Two researchers from the Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne (EWI) presented current analyses on the ramp-up of e-mobility as part of the “EWI-Insights” webinar series. The event was moderated by Dr. Philip Schnaars, Manager at the EWI. Researcher Antonie Reinecke first presented the EWI EV-Preparedness Index. The index measures how prepared European countries were for the ramp-up of e-mobility in 2022. Germany occupies 20th place in this ranking and lands in the bottom third with an index value of 5.4 out of 10 possible points. As in the previous year, Scandinavian countries lead the index. For example, Norway achieves an index value of 9.4, Sweden lands at 8.4, and Denmark at 8.1 points.
The analysis shows that Germany needs to catch up with other countries regarding green electricity generation and incentives for flexible charging. Although other indicators are not quite on a par with the Scandinavian countries, they are still in the top quarter. “Germany is well on the way to achieving its charging infrastructure expansion targets for 2050,” says Reinecke.
In the second part of the event, researcher Arne Lilienkamp spoke about the integration of electric vehicles into the distribution grid. This is a coordination problem. If more electric vehicles come onto Germany’s roads, this could pose challenges for the electricity distribution grids if more vehicles are charged at the same time, said Lilienkamp. In principle, there are three possible solutions to address this: Limiting grid access, grid expansion or signals from the grid in the form of intervention rights for distribution grid operators. The third option in particular is the most promising approach against the backdrop of climate protection targets and for cost reasons. Lilienkamp says that there must be signals from both the electricity market and the electricity grid. Ideally, these should be spatially and temporally differentiated.
The online workshop series “EWI-Insights” has been held around four times a year since 2020 and is aimed at experts in business, science, and politics who are interested in scientific findings from the energy world. EMI researchers offer insights into the institute’s current studies and analyses.
