The rapidly growing global electric vehicle (EV) market has excellent demand for new infrastructure, including conductive charging, battery swapping, and wireless charging. Off-grid charging solutions can be implemented where grid expansion and accessibility can’t quite keep up with this growing demand in the medium term.
IDTechEx’s latest report, “Off-Grid Charging For Electric Vehicles 2024-2034: Technologies, Benchmarking, Players and Forecasts,” explores solutions and 10-year market forecasts.
How is the Growing EV Market Changing Infrastructure Demands?
Internal combustion engines are predicted to decline in growth, with battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid EVs, and fuel cell EVs estimated to overtake them. But as fuel is replaced with electricity, how will all the electricity be transported?
With this increase in electricity demand, production and distribution face enormous challenges. In 2019, IDTechEx reported that 23,000 trillion watt-hours equivalent of oil was consumed by road transportation, meaning a comparable amount of energy must be sourced and transported to meet the exact requirements.
While solar is a fast-growing energy source, and wind on and offshore can rapidly generate renewable energy, the resources needed for wide electricity distribution are unavailable. Current grid infrastructure is mainly built around centralized coal-fired power plants and is struggling to adapt to the needs of electric vehicles.
Off-grid charging is becoming necessary as the electrification of transport creates a need for charging infrastructure to keep up with passenger car usage, applications within rural areas, and commercial and industry settings such as large mining or construction sites.
There is increased pressure on local grid access, as it takes time and money to achieve the grid expansions needed to keep up with growing electrification and demand for these charging sites. IDTechEx states that the average grid connection time is just under four years in the US, and in the context of the rapidly growing EV market, this is relatively slow.
Off-Grid Methods and Approaches
Solar canopy chargers, Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) generation methods, and hydrogen fuel cell charging are three possible approaches to off-grid charging. Each could help relieve the weight on a constrained grid and has benefits and challenges.
Overhead solar power canopies and power batteries with an EV charging outlet can be set up relatively quickly and efficiently. This method of off-grid charging can provide free energy and be a great source of extra power on the go.
Solar canopy chargers, however, might face challenges of limited geographical applicability, lower charging rates, and decreased reliability in areas with reduced sunlight or at nighttime. The costs of installations may outweigh the benefits in some cases, as despite being straightforward, they still require some expensive equipment. AWE generation methods provide a scalable and renewable approach, though they can also be costly to deploy and are still in the earlier stages of development.
Hydrogen fuel cell or generator charging can provide high charging rates and good consistency with sufficient hydrogen supply. Although this approach requires green hydrogen to be considered a ‘green’ technology, it has the potential to reach net zero and be a fantastic opportunity for off-grid charging. With its ability to be temporary without requiring permanent installations, fuel cell charging could be used for several applications, such as public highways, construction sites for high-powered vehicles requiring fast charging, and fleets that need a grid connection boost.
A good hydrogen supply could provide energy security as a backup option or temporarily be a primary source of electricity. However, fuel cell charging may also mean slightly lower energy efficiency, and costs can still be challenging, as acquiring green hydrogen at a reasonable price could prove tricky. High initial expenses when deploying this charging approach should also be considered.
IDTechEx Forecasts
As explored by IDTechEx, the primary purpose of off-grid charging is to accommodate the growing EV market alongside limited electricity infrastructure, providing solutions for charging while the grid is being expanded. Over the last ten years, global infrastructure investments have been consistent.
Still, new investments will be necessary for the EV market to deal with challenges surrounding costs and make implementations of new techniques viable. IDTechEx expects the total off-grid charging market to reach over US$16 billion by 2034, with their report, “Off-Grid Charging For Electric Vehicles 2024-2034: Technologies, Benchmarking, Players and Forecasts”, covering predictions for critical regions, end-use sectors, and market value up to 2034.