What does charging mean for the local grid?
Cookers, lights, heat pumps, and now wallboxes: the transformer at the end of the street is at its busiest hour.
If the cars charged as their drivers arrive, the peak would rise by more than half.
The questionHow much does charging add to the evening peak, and how much of it has to be at 7 PM?
A composed example. Uncontrolled, the peak at 7 PM exceeds the transformer's rating; with charging spread into the night, the peak stays below it and the cars are full by the morning.
Simultaneity is the issue
Most cars arrive home between 5 and 8 PM, and most households cook and heat at the same time. If every car starts charging on arrival, the extra load lands on the existing peak. The energy itself, a few kWh per car and day, would fit easily into the night.
- Uncontrolled: the peak grows, and the transformer may need an early upgrade.
- Smart: the same energy flows when the street is quiet, and the transformer keeps serving for years.
Smart by default
EU law pushes charge points towards . Public charge points built since 13 April 2024 must be capable of smart recharging. New and replaced private normal power charge points must be able to support smart recharging functionalities and, in line with , bidirectional ones.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
Why does uncontrolled charging matter most at 7 PM?
The extra load lands on the existing evening peak; the energy itself could flow later.
What does smart charging change for the transformer?
Energy is shifted in time, not reduced; the peak is what limits the transformer.
What does RED III require of new private normal power charge points?
Article 20a(4): new and replaced non-public normal power charge points can support smart recharging, and bidirectional functions in line with AFIR.
- AFIR Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (EU) 2023/1804: EU rules for public charging, from payment to coverage. EV charging fundamentals, stop 08 Glossary
- Smart charging Charging whose power is adjusted in real time, based on information received electronically, for example from the grid operator or a price signal; EU law calls it smart recharging. Bidirectional charging, stop 01 Glossary
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Articles 5 and 20. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2023/2413 (RED III), Article 20a inserted into Directive (EU) 2018/2001. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/2413/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.