The rapid expansion of charging infrastructure in the Netherlands has led to a paradox: while the country remains at the forefront of electric vehicle (EV) adoption, the strain on the electricity grid threatens to impede its progress.
“In 2023, the country had 145,000 chargers, representing approximately 23-24% of the total in Europe,” says Tamas Gabor, Strategist in Sustainability & Mobility, to Mobility Portal Europe.
He states that this equates to approximately eight stations per thousand people.
At the same time, there are currently many locations where there is little to no space on the grid to provide new connections.
Grid congestion means that electricity demand exceeds the available capacity, posing a serious problem for the continued expansion of charging infrastructure.
This issue is largely attributed to the transition towards cleaner energy sources, such as solar and wind power. Although these renewable energies are crucial for replacing fossil fuels, they are not always available in consistent quantities due to their variable nature.
This situation has been exacerbated by external factors such as the war in Ukraine and rising gas prices, which have accelerated the shift towards clean energy.
On the other hand, Jeroen Jonker, Business Consultant in e-Mobility & Energy, observes that the country is in a relatively good position regarding charging coverage.
“With the current electric vehicle, you can travel from one side of the country to the other and back without needing to charge,” he tells Mobility Portal Europe, primarily due to the size of the territory.
He adds: “We have a good network of fast and alternating current charging stations, which ensures extensive coverage.”
Nevertheless, he acknowledges that the issue of congestion is real and is becoming a significant challenge not only in the Netherlands but also across Europe.
To address this challenge, several solutions have been proposed
Smart charging and the use of Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology are options that would allow EVs to return electricity to the grid during peak demand periods.
But Jeroen Jonker considers that managing bidirectional charging would be very complex. Instead, he suggests an alternative: the use of home batteries.
“These can store energy when the sun shines and allow homeowners to charge their EVs overnight,” he explains.
This approach could relieve pressure on the electricity grid during peak hours.
Additionally, Stedin, a regional network operator in the Netherlands, has proposed temporarily disconnecting charging stations during periods of high demand.
This measure could free up enough capacity to allow for the connection of new homes to the grid.
Further research commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate suggests that the local railway could play a role in alleviating congestion.
According to the Stevin study, unused capacity in the railway system could be utilised to meet part of the electricity demand.
Residual capacity could be used for eBus charging stations, trolleybus battery charging, or even construction projects and other external uses.
The issue is that currently, residual capacity is not permitted for external purposes unless a specific permit is obtained.
In this context, Tamas Gabor proposes an additional solution:
“What the industry needs is to closely monitor the actual use of electric vehicles and charging patterns to learn from them and invest intelligently in the future.”
He highlights: “It is crucial that, whether through pricing, policies, or other measures and techniques, efforts are made to distribute the timing of ‘refueling’.”
This is because if everyone charges their EVs upon arriving home, it will be necessary to significantly increase the grid’s capacity, which could lead to an over-dimensioning of the infrastructure.
How do the Netherlands fare in charger deployment?
On a general level, the Netherlands leads Europe in terms of charging point density, with over 167,000 public and semi-public stations and more than half a million private locations.
This growth has been remarkable, with the number of chargers more than doubling since 2021.
The National Charging Infrastructure Agenda (NAL) plans to install 40,000 public devices by 2025, with an ambitious target of reaching 1.7 million points by 2030.
The ambition of the action plan is for more than 60% of charging sessions to be smart by 2025.
Although the country remains the European leader in terms of station density, the reality is that more than half of the events occur at private locations, with only 25% at public sites.
