Community-to-Vehicle: Integrating Electric Vehicles into Energy Communities -- A Swiss Case Study

TL;DR

This paper proposes a community-to-vehicle (C2V) approach to integrate EV charging within local energy communities, improving renewable energy utilization and economic benefits in Switzerland.

Contribution

It introduces the C2V concept as an institutional mechanism to coordinate EV charging with local renewable energy, bridging institutional gaps.

Findings

C2V significantly increases local PV utilization.

C2V reduces EV charging costs compared to commercial options.

C2V generates additional revenue streams for communities.

Abstract

The institutional separation between local energy communities and public electric vehicle (EV) charging limits the efficient use of locally generated renewable energy. This paper introduces the concept of community-to-vehicle (C2V) as an institutional design mechanism to bridge this gap by enabling EV charging within the community boundary, where locally generated photovoltaic (PV) surplus is preferentially allocated and offered to external users at a community charging price. Building on the recently introduced local electricity community framework in Switzerland, we design scenarios that capture the transition from full separation to coordinated EV charging and evaluate their impacts on EV users and the community. The results show that C2V significantly improves local PV utilization and enhances economic performance, reducing EV charging costs relative to commercial alternatives while generating additional revenue streams for the community. These findings highlight the potential of C2V as a practical, implementable mechanism for integrating EV charging into local energy communities, providing a clear pathway for adopting coordinated community-EV interaction within existing regulatory frameworks.