The role and the impact of electric vehicles on the local power grid within the Northern Finland climatic conditions

Large scale electrification of the transportation sector is generally considered a promising strategy for improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases emissions. Within a broader decarbonization strategy, the development of the electric vehicles sector, including its integration within a smarter energy network, it is considered one of the cornerstones of the future energy and transportation development strategy. On the other hand, feasibility and sustainability studies on the performance of electric vehicles are performed without taking in full consideration the overall impact on the energy infrastructure that so much depends on specific local environmental and climatic conditions. In our work, we assessed the impacts electric vehicles could have on the local (smarter) power network and the infrastructure underlying critical issues in the systems within the Northern Finland winter conditions. Considering the case study of the city of Oulu, we developed a MATLAB based simulation assessing the role a fleet of electric vehicles could play within a smart grid based power system. Analysis results strongly suggest that, within the current logistical and environmental limitations, electric vehicle cannot play an active role on the flattening of the network peaks loads. Furthermore, unless a number of coordinated efforts for the improvement of the existing urban infrastructure are considered, they are likely to significantly increase the overall power consumption opening new questions related to the necessary increase of power production.