EV charging at scale draws more power than most commercial grid connections were designed to supply. A behind-the-meter battery routes the charging load through stored energy — not through the grid connection — so no upgrade is triggered.
Commercial property owners who have investigated EV charging infrastructure typically encounter the same obstacle: the grid connection cannot support it at meaningful scale. A DNO quote for grid reinforcement to support twenty fast chargers comes back at £200,000 to £500,000 and a two-year timeline. The project stalls.
The behind-the-meter battery route solves this without the grid upgrade, because it changes where the charging load comes from.
A commercial property's electricity supply agreement defines its maximum agreed supply capacity — the maximum power the grid connection is contracted to supply at any moment. When a new large load (EV chargers, a substantial battery with export capability, a new industrial process) pushes the peak demand above the agreed capacity, the distribution network operator (DNO in the UK, regional DSO in Sweden) requires the property owner to fund the network upgrade needed to support it. Costs range from £50,000 to over £1 million; timelines range from six months to over two years.
EV charging is a particularly concentrated load. Fifteen 22 kW AC chargers operating simultaneously draw 330 kW — more than the agreed supply capacity of most commercial warehouses and logistics facilities. Even six 50 kW DC fast chargers draw 300 kW. The grid cannot supply this within most existing connections without reinforcement.
The behind-the-meter battery charges slowly from the grid during off-peak hours — overnight, when electricity prices are at their lowest and the grid connection operates well below its peak capacity. During the day, EV charging sessions draw from the battery, not from the grid connection directly.
The effect on the grid connection's metered peak demand: the battery charge current is low and sustained, spread over the overnight period. The EV charging discharge is high but comes from the battery. The grid connection's metered peak demand does not increase to reflect the EV charging capacity installed, because the EV chargers are not drawing from the grid at the moment of charging.
No increase in agreed supply capacity means no DNO assessment and no reinforcement requirement.
The reinforcement cost is the most visible avoided expense. A grid reinforcement for EV charging also takes time — the DNO assessment, design, and installation process routinely takes twelve to twenty-four months. During this period, the EV charging project is stalled, tenants who asked for charging infrastructure do not have it, and the property falls behind the EV charging provision expected by corporate occupiers.
The behind-the-meter battery route is operational from the commissioning date — typically twelve to twenty weeks from first conversation. The EV charging capacity is available before the grid reinforcement process would even be complete.
When a battery's DC output is converted to AC for the building supply and then a DC fast charger converts back to DC for the vehicle, the double conversion loses approximately 10 to 15% of the energy in conversion losses. HNordic's system uses a DC-to-DC charging path where the battery output feeds DC fast chargers directly — eliminating one conversion stage and increasing the effective charging capacity for the same battery size.
See also: What is grid reinforcement and why does a commercial property installation avoid it? · What types of commercial property qualify? · Full FAQ