Political pressure is mounting in Brussels to soften or delay the EU's 2035 combustion engine ban. But a new analysis highlights a largely overlooked consequence: without a large fleet of electric vehicles acting as distributed battery storage, grid balancing becomes dramatically more expensive — potentially requiring the equivalent of 150 additional power plants across Europe.
EVs as Grid Infrastructure
Europe's renewable energy capacity is expanding rapidly — solar PV installations broke records again in 2024 and 2025. But more solar and wind means more need for storage and grid flexibility. If EV uptake is slowed by weakened mandates, that flexibility gap has to be filled by other means: new peaker plants, large-scale battery storage facilities, or expensive grid upgrades.
What This Means for Home and Business Energy
Source: 150 New Power Plants: The Cost of Balancing the Grid If the EU Slashes EV Targets - CleanTechnica· Based on source, with AI-assisted rewriting.
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