The value of smart charging at home and its impact on EV market shares – A German case study

The future increase in electric consumers in households, especially electric vehicles and heat pumps, as well as the rising solar power installation, allows for a certain degree of grid-independency and cost savings through self-generated electricity. Both the use of self-generated electricity and cost savings may be increased through the implementation of smart energy management systems at home, which may also have a beneficial impact on electric vehicle sales. In this paper, we combine two models that optimize the energy consumption at household level and a market diffusion model for alternative fuel vehicles to address this aspect for Germany in 2030. Results show that the use of smart energy management systems can result in savings of up to €900–€1200 per year for households with heat pumps, photovoltaics, and electric vehicles, depending on the daily and annual mileage. The results of our analyses indicate that additional battery storage systems are unlikely to be cost-effective with electric vehicles in place. Market shares of battery electric vehicles can be increased, especially for households with small vehicles, where price sensitivities are highest. However, smart charging without solar power only returns small savings and has no impact on electric vehicle market shares.