Abstract The rapid increase in electric vehicle (EV) adoption introduces significant operational challenges for low-voltage distribution networks. This study evaluates the impact of increasing EV penetration on a real residential distribution feeder in Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye, and investigates the effectiveness of different mitigation strategies. Simulations are conducted using the OpenDSS under multiple EV penetration scenarios, focusing on voltage deviations, thermal loading, and violation durations. The results reveal that thermal (ampacity) constraints become binding earlier and more severely than voltage limits as EV penetration increases. Uncoordinated time-of-use (TOU) charging is shown to increase load coincidence, leading to higher peak currents, whereas conservation voltage reduction (CVR) provides only limited mitigation under high loading conditions. In contrast, centralized charging coordination based on Open Charge Point Protocol effectively reduces peak demand by distributing charging sessions over time. Furthermore, battery storage systems (BSS) significantly mitigate thermal violations by providing localized peak shaving support. Quantitative results indicate that coordinated charging reduces the number of thermal violations substantially, while BSS deployment enables the network to accommodate higher EV penetration levels without exceeding operational limits. The findings highlight the critical role of coordinated charging and energy storage in enabling high EV integration and provide practical insights for distribution system operators in planning and managing future low-voltage networks.
Kaba et al. (Wed,) studied this question.