Impact of EV fast charging stations on the power distribution network of a Latin American intermediate city

Abstract

One of the most important challenges to mitigate global climate change is to move towards sustainable mobility. In this line, electric vehicles are currently an efficient and environmentally friendly means of transport. The objective of this research is to analyze the incidence of implementing fast charging stations for electric vehicles in the power distribution system of a Latin American intermediate city. The paper covers social, geographic, and technical aspects to determine the minimum infrastructure needed for the selected case study. The analysis is carried out by computational tools in order to model a 50 kW fast charging station with an AC/DC and DC/DC power converter. The inclusion of this type of stations in one of the feeders of the power distribution system of the city of Cuenca, Ecuador, is studied. After the analysis, it can be concluded that the impact of the inclusion of fast charging stations in the distribution system of the study area is reduced in terms of harmonic distortion and energy capacity. This low technical impact can lead to economic and environmental benefits for the city. This study helps to establish the necessary procedure to determine the fast charging infrastructure in urban centers and verify its impact on the power distribution network.