BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 23. The lack of an extensive charging infrastructure network can slow electric vehicles’ (EV) adoption, Trend reports with reference to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
“It is of paramount importance that the required grid upgrades are put in place as swiftly as possible while taking into account the legitimate claims of all stakeholders. Clear approval timelines and enhancing the administrative processing capacity of entities tasked with approval processes will help to accelerate EV deployment,” reads the IEA report.
The agency notes that given the long lead times, co-ordinating power system planning to adequately reflect the multitude of increasing demand sources and their load profiles is a must to avoid bottlenecks. Co-ordination across government departments could help ease the time needed for permitting and construction.
“Creating and upgrading grid connections is a complex task involving a multitude of planning, approval and procurement steps, each of which requires significant lead times. Permitting processes including impact studies, involvement of multiple stakeholders, discussions of alternative routes can double the estimated time to bring a connection project online. In case of higher voltage connections, total project time can exceed four years. The permitting time varies considerably across regions and jurisdictions. Engineering, procurement and construction of substations and chargers can follow predictable timetables. The most time critical element is transformer procurement, as transformers tend to have long manufacturing lead times. The construction of new lines can also require significant time, especially for higher voltage connections,” the report says.
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