Impact on the Power Grid Caused via Ultra-Fast Charging Technologies of the Electric Buses Fleet

Battery Electric Buses (BEBs) are considerably integrated into cities worldwide. These buses have a strict schedule; thus, they could be charged in a very short time with a power level up to 600 kW. The high-power systems and short charging times imply special grid operation conditions that should be taken into account. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the influence of their charging infrastructure on the distribution system operation, especially near the charging point. This work presents two Use Cases (UCs) from two demos (Germany and the Netherlands) to investigate the impact of the slow and fast-chargers' integrations on the power grid and environment. Fast-chargers up to 350 kW based on pantograph technology and slow-chargers up to 50 kW based on Combined Charging System Type 2 (CCS2) are used on the BEB line route and in the depot, respectively. The charging of BEBs with these solutions is studied here to investigate their impact on the grid in terms of power quality. It was found that the voltage variations due to fast-chargers terminal remain much below the EN50160 standard limit values i.e., +/- 10%. The obtained maximum Total Harmonic Voltage Distortion (THDv) value is 2.7%, with an average value of 1.3%, which is below the limit value of 8%, as per the standard EN 50160. Similarly, the individual harmonic currents were measured. The maximum value of total harmonic current distortion (THDI) is around 25%, with an average value of 3% only. As the average value of THDI is quite low, the harmonic current pollution is not a big concern for the installation at this time.

Automated summary

Battery Electric Buses (BEBs) have been widely integrated into cities worldwide. This study investigates the impact of slow and fast chargers on the power grid and environment, and finds that these chargers have minimal negative effects on power quality.