ChargeUp Europe, representing the electric vehicle (EV) charging industry, and Eurelectric, representing European electricity utilities and distribution system operators (DSOs), convened a roundtable on April 1, 2025, to discuss best practices and key challenges in the grid connection process for EV charging infrastructure.
Participants included representatives from the European Commission’s DG MOVE, Charging Point Operators (CPOs), technology providers from ChargeUp Europe, and DSO associations such as GEODE and E.DSO.
ChargeUp Europe and Eurelectric signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2023 to address the difficulties faced by CPOs in grid connection and to enhance relevant legislation. Despite strong EU policy frameworks like the Grid Action Plan and Electricity Market Design, uneven implementation across Member States continues to impede EV infrastructure deployment and integration of EVs as grid assets.
The roundtable highlighted the critical need for greater information sharing on available grid capacity and connection processes between DSOs and CPOs to avoid speculative connection requests. A permanent point of contact, standardized communication streams, and a preset data framework were proposed to provide real-time connection status updates and improve transparency.
Regarding financing, it was stressed that necessary grid investments will primarily rely on regulated network tariffs, which must ensure competitive returns. National Regulatory Authorities should enable anticipatory investments to support the energy transition.
The upcoming European Commission guidance on Anticipatory Investments aims to reduce waiting times for EV charging point connections and assist National Regulatory Authorities.
Several DSOs presented innovative approaches, including the use of digital grid capacity maps, with up-to-date information on available resources. Notably, the “Digital Twin” project from Portugal, replicating the entire distribution grid digitally, was showcased as a cutting-edge example.
The workshop concluded that a minimum dataset for network connection should be established, and that DSOs—large and small—should adopt best practices to increase transparency on grid capacity and headroom. Sharing detailed, harmonized data will help eliminate speculative connection requests and streamline processes.
Establishing a single point of contact within DSOs for new connection requests was identified as a key step towards harmonizing information flow in the grid connection process.
