Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming a critical tool for infrastructure flexibility as Europe strives to decarbonise its transportation and energy networks. Balancing the demand and supply of renewable energy has become more challenging as its production increases. The latest work by EY and Eurelectric, Plugging in Potential: Unleashing EVs’ Untapped Flexibility, explores how smart charging and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology might help solve these challenges. However, proper scaling requires overcoming legal and market restrictions.

Gabrielle Clark, Electric Policy Officer for Energy and Climate, stresses the urgency of developing a cohesive regulatory framework to facilitate EV flexibility:

“Flexibility is needed in the system, but regulation must catch up. Standardisation is critical to ensure industry players can operate in a structured manner rather than through fragmented, ad hoc initiatives. Without regulatory clarity, commercial-scale implementation remains difficult.”