At the moment, there is a lot going on related to electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. Both when it comes to the development of new solutions and when it comes to private interest in electric transportation. Maximilian Bengtsson, traffic planner at Tyréns, says that electrification today is in a situation where many laws and regulations are being reviewed, which means that anything can happen. Today there is a consensus that a change should take place, but how it should happen is still not clear.

- Monitoring and keeping up to date with what is happening in the world in relation to charging infrastructure is a full-time job! There are always new things to consider and take into account, and what is true today will not necessarily be true tomorrow,” says Maximilian Bengtsson.

Optimized energy storage

At the same time as the work and development of enabling charging for more people, there are developments in how to optimize the energy storage that takes place in today's electric cars. When you delve deeper into electric car charging, it also becomes clear that it is not just about where it is possible to charge your electric car. It is just as much about different types of charging, and how to use the stored energy in the car when the car is not in use. The concept is called vehicle-to-grid and means that each car has the possibility to sell its stored energy to the grid when not in use.

- This means that electrified cars could be used as the city's battery, and will be needed in the future. All the charging infrastructure that is being prepared today will be prepared for vehicle-to-grid,” explains Markus Fredriksson, Electricity/Lighting Administrator at Tyréns.

With the help of vehicle-to-grid technology, electric vehicles would thus fulfill more functions than just transporting people or goods. And although the charging infrastructure today can be prepared for the technology, the majority of current vehicles do not support it. 

Future competence in charging infrastructure

In addition to the question of what the charging infrastructure should look like in the future and how the charging infrastructure can be optimized, another question has emerged linked to the design. Namely, the question of who is best suited to manage and design a well-functioning charging infrastructure.

- It is natural that the question lands with us as traffic planners as it is clearly linked to traffic flows and the traffic situation. But we traffic planners lack the knowledge of electricity and electricity infrastructure, and the challenges they bring. Therefore, it feels extra safe to be able to involve our colleagues in electricity to jointly find the best solution for our clients and for society,” concludes Maximilian Bengtsson.

Source:
https://www.tyrens.se/aktuellt/nyheter/framtidens-utmaningar-inom-laddinfra/