EV Loads Are Coming — Here’s How They’ll Affect the Grid

RMI's GridUp tool analyzes EV load growth in New York State, specifically within the service territories of Consolidated Edison and National Grid. The analysis indicates that unmanaged EV charging could overload several substation banks by 2035, but managed charging could reduce the EV contribution to system peak load by approximately 33 percent, potentially deferring costly infrastructure investments.

• EV charging demand is expected to be concentrated in specific 'pockets', particularly in Erie, Onondaga, Albany, and Saratoga counties, with high demand likely in warehouse districts, ports, and transit centers due to fleet activity.
• In an unmanaged charging scenario for National Grid's New York service territory, 7 out of 779 substation banks are projected to see EV load growth exceed 50 percent of available capacity by 2030. By 2035, 14 substation banks may be overloaded by EV loads taking up 100 percent of existing headroom, with four potentially overloaded by more than 200 percent.
• Managed charging can significantly mitigate grid stress; in the National Grid service territory, it is estimated to reduce the EV contribution to the system peak by approximately 33 percent.
• To manage EV load growth and protect customer affordability, utilities should combine proactive distribution system investments with demand-side strategies, including time-of-use rates, incentives, non-wires alternatives, and flexible service connections.

APA

Broga, G., Tchernyshyov, K., & Venkatraman, A. (2025). EV Loads Are Coming — Here’s How They’ll Affect the Grid. RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/ev-loads-are-coming-heres-how-theyll-affect-the-grid/

Chicago

Broga, Gabriella, Kirill Tchernyshyov, and Athindra Venkatraman. EV Loads Are Coming — Here’s How They’ll Affect the Grid. RMI, 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/ev-loads-are-coming-heres-how-theyll-affect-the-grid/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Broga |first1=Gabriella |last2=Tchernyshyov |first2=Kirill |last3=Venkatraman |first3=Athindra |title=EV Loads Are Coming — Here’s How They’ll Affect the Grid |publisher=RMI |date=28 April 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/ev-loads-are-coming-heres-how-theyll-affect-the-grid/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{broga2025loads, author = {Broga, Gabriella and Tchernyshyov, Kirill and Venkatraman, Athindra}, title = {{EV Loads Are Coming — Here’s How They’ll Affect the Grid}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/ev-loads-are-coming-heres-how-theyll-affect-the-grid/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }