Eurelectric has launched a series of Roundtables dedicated to increasing the visibility of DSOs viewpoints and perspectives on the issues pertaining to the whole E-Mobility ecosystem, reuniting the members of the E-Mobility ecosystem, identifying the bottlenecks pertaining to the deployment of E-Mobility in relation to the distribution grids, and bringing forward policy recommendations that could alleviate them.
Introduction
The first Roundtable was dedicated to challenges and opportunities related to the connection procedures and was preceded by a survey where participants were providing valuable input for the discussions. The roundtable was divided into three parts: digitalisation of the application process, standardisation of procedures, and finally, open dialogue and cooperation among the relevant parties. It is to be noted that the discussions of this roundtable mainly focused on public charging.
During the first roundtable, participants reached the conclusion that connection procedures often represent a bottleneck to the ramping up of EV charging infrastructure, which highlights the importance of digitalisation, standardisation of procedures, and the need for open dialogue and cooperation between public authorities, DSOs, and CPOs. Connection procedures are sometimes so lengthy that CPOs might have to change their original plans, jeopardising their activity. The critical point is not the connection itself but the activities related to the authorization/installation of the charging point, which in a lot of cases account for the vast majority of the lead time for the connection. It is important that the activities related to the authorization/installation of the charging point do not endanger business opportunities.
As a preliminary note, we are recalling some core tasks pertaining to the DSOs as set in the European legislation:
- “In any event, the distribution system operator shall not discriminate between system users or classes of system users, particularly in favour of its related undertakings.” Article 31(2) of the Electricity Directive
- “The distribution system operator shall provide system users with the information they need for efficient access to, including use of, the system.” Article 31(3) of the Electricity Directive
- “Member States shall ensure that distribution system operators cooperate on a non-discriminatory basis with any undertaking that owns, develops, operates or manages recharging points for electric vehicles, including with regard to connection to the grid.” Article 33 of the Electricity Directive