I’ve been reading up, including in the recent Draghi Report for the EU, about how the growing demand for EVs and charging infrastructure is putting strain on the electricity grid. This could become a barrier for EV adoption in some areas.
Questions:
If charging points were more centralized (similar to how gas stations are located), would this help with grid issues by focusing the load in certain areas?
If we had battery swap stations instead of traditional charging, where you could quickly swap an empty battery for a charged one, would this alleviate grid strain?
If the first two ideas hold any weight, could introducing standardized battery packs for all EVs help tackle these issues?
Thoughts
Right now, it takes just a few minutes to fuel up a gasoline car for a 60-mile range. Imagine if EVs could do the same through modular battery swaps—just drop off the depleted pack, grab a new one, and pay for the kWh in the fresh battery. This setup would need standard battery packs, which might only be possible with new regulations or agreements among automakers.
Would focusing the grid demand in specific areas with these types of setups help reduce some of the strain that the current dispersed charging network faces?
The grid has shown it can handle even bigger demands than home EV charging. The Draghi report isn’t necessarily a clear predictor here, as it wasn’t specifically about grid readiness.
Your first two questions don’t really address grid readiness in a meaningful way, so they’re unlikely to hold up. China has explored battery swapping (primarily through Nio), and if anyone could standardize it, it’d be them—but they haven’t gone that route either.
These ‘grid is failing’ warnings often overlook how energy distribution is evolving. We’re moving towards sustainable grids with more localized generation. Solar panels and local battery storage could eventually mean less need for expanding the traditional grid. Solar on rooftops can go a long way—just 5,000 square miles of solar panels could meet 100% of the US power demand.
Shifting from big plants to local renewable sources with battery backup would actually make the grid more resilient. The stories about the grid collapsing are often pushed by groups trying to protect fossil fuels.
Battery swapping, like Nio is trying, is interesting but has challenges. Even with some success, it’s not mainstream, likely because battery swaps don’t cover the full spectrum of drivers’ needs. The cost of setting up and maintaining the infrastructure, plus the need for a universal design, makes it tough. EV batteries are already rapidly improving in range and charge speed.
For grid stress, charging stations with solar canopies and on-site battery storage could help a lot, allowing stations to pull from the grid during low-demand times and use stored energy during peak demand. This would reduce direct load on the grid.
adequate electricity grid, posing a challenge to EV diffusion in many places
A solar canopy with battery storage could be a great solution in remote areas. For instance, on stretches of road between Las Vegas and LA, there are solar/battery charging setups that even provide backup power for nearby towns.
If charging points wouldn’t require you to stop and charge your battery but rather change an empty battery with a charged one, would this help?
Battery swap stations were tried a while back but didn’t gain traction, as people didn’t like the experience. Tesla experimented with this but moved on.
Would it also solve part of the grid challenges by concentrating to certain areas the energy needs rather than diffusing them around cities?
With solar everywhere and the ability to use cars as mobile batteries, we have more flexibility. Utilities could even borrow power from EVs when they’re parked, creating a two-way benefit.
Power grids are already set up to distribute electricity as needed, so fewer charging locations wouldn’t reduce the total energy demand. Having dispersed charging stations may even be better, as drivers don’t have to go far to charge.
If we swap out batteries, the empty ones still need charging somewhere, so the power demand remains the same.
So no, focusing on specific locations wouldn’t make a difference for grid readiness.
Battery swapping is pretty much out of the picture now. EV makers are more focused on making larger batteries that can charge quickly. Some cars can theoretically charge at over 300 kW, meaning even big batteries don’t need long to top up—usually under 20 minutes. Designing around fixed, long-lasting batteries also makes more sense.