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

RMI describes the use of its GridUp tool to forecast electric vehicle (EV) load growth and its impact on distribution systems, specifically focusing on a case study of National Grid and Consolidated Edison in New York State.

• RMI's GridUp tool models future EV charging locations by analyzing data from millions of existing gas-powered vehicle trips, assuming driving behaviors remain largely unchanged.
• In National Grid's New York service territory, EV charging demand is expected to concentrate in specific 'pockets' such as ports, transit centers, and warehouse districts, particularly within Saratoga, Albany, Onondaga, and Erie counties.
• Under an unmanaged charging scenario in National Grid's New York territory, 7 of 779 substation banks will see EV load growth exceed 50% of available capacity by 2030. By 2035, 14 substation banks may be overloaded by EV loads taking up 100% of existing headroom, with four potentially overloaded by more than 200%.
• Managed charging can significantly reduce the impact of EVs on the grid; in the analyzed National Grid territory, a managed scenario reduces the EV contribution to the system peak by approximately 33%.

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} }