At the moment, the idea is under study and would only affect domestic chargers
In Spain alone, in 2022, more than 100,000 electrified vehicles (pure electric and plug-in hybrids) were sold. In the German country, the market share of electric cars is even greater, which is why its proliferation is uncovering a problem for the solution of which Germany is considering a measure that could be controversial.
According to local media, the national electricity operators have warned the government of the overload that the electricity grid is beginning to suffer due to the growing number of vehicles that use the network, both public and private, for recharging.
More than 50,000 chargers in use
Today in Germany there are more than 50,000 charging points for electric vehicles in operation. An important nuance: in this count, only charging points for public use are taken into account, so it would be necessary to add the tens of thousands installed in private homes.
The Government has promised to increase the number significantly and has acquired the commitment that before the end of the decade the number of chargers available will exceed one million.
For this to be a reality, you must not only increase the pace of installation but also assess options so that the increase in points does not end up melting the leads of an increasingly saturated network.
Germany’s solution to avoid network saturation
Aware of the saturation problem that the German electricity grid would be experiencing, the government would be evaluating different solutions. According to a national media, the alternative with the most support does not go through reinforcing the network but rather limiting the power of private chargers.
Currently, a domestic charging point supports powers ranging between 3.7 and 22 kW; in between, the gay ones of 7.4 and 11 kW. It seems that the intention of the Government is to limit the power to 3.7 kWh regardless of the maximum that the charging point admits.
The measure, which would only apply to private charging points, would be a significant disadvantage for those users looking for fast charging at home, since reducing power is equivalent to increasing recharging time.