2025 electric vehicle energy storage station

Will electric vehicle batteries satisfy grid storage demand by 2030?

Renewable energy and electric vehicles will be required for the energy transition, but the global electric vehicle battery capacity available for grid storage is not constrained. Here the authors find that electric vehicle batteries alone could satisfy short-term grid storage demand by as early as 2030.

Does technical EV capacity meet grid storage capacity demand?

Technical vehicle-to-grid capacity or second-use capacity are each, on their own, sufficient to meet the short-term grid storage capacity demand of 3.4-19.2 TWh by 2050. This is also true on a regional basis where technical EV capacity meets regional grid storage capacity demand (see Supplementary Fig. 9).

Are electric vehicles a good option for the energy transition?

Our estimates are generally conservative and offer a lower bound of future opportunities. Renewable energy and electric vehicles will be required for the energy transition, but the global electric vehicle battery capacity available for grid storage is not constrained.

Should EV batteries be used as stationary storage?

Low participation rates of 12%–43% are needed to provide short-term grid storage demand globally. Participation rates fall below 10% if half of EV batteries at end-of-vehicle-life are used as stationary storage. Short-term grid storage demand could be met as early as 2030 across most regions.

Will EV demand be localized?

Along with different levels of EV adoption across regions, structural considerations will make charging-station demand highly localized. For example, compare a city like Los Angeles, with many single-family low-rise homes that have parking garages, with Manhattan, where high-rise multi-unit apartment dwellings prevail.