The number of plug-in EVs on the road is expected to reach seven million by 2025. Consumers and commercial fleets are calling for significant improvements in battery performance and charging infrastructure. To meet those challenges, researchers must balance increasing demands for power with the existing grid infrastructure. National Renewable Energy Laboratory is at the forefront of this groundbreaking work.
By studying EVs, buildings, and infrastructure together as key components of a larger electrical ecosystem, researchers are better positioned to examine the technical details. This type of integrated energy management approach will prove crucial. While buildings are responsible for 75% of the nation’s total electrical load, the increasing number of EVs on the road reveals the need for five million charge ports by 2025.
NREL led an in-depth review of current XFC developments and research opportunities at its pioneering Commercial Vehicles and Extreme Fast Charging Research Needs Workshop. More than 40 U.S. Department of Energy staff, national laboratory representatives, and industry experts attended the workshop. Future research opportunities were identified, including the creation of total-cost-analysis models for commercial charging infrastructure.