For the RES Serbia portal, within the new column “Member Speaks”, Dragan Buača, Sales Director for End Users at Schneider Electric, writes about the role of electric vehicles in ensuring energy stability and transforming the cities of the future.
The world is facing the largest migration of people in history. It is estimated that by 2050, another 2.5 billion people will move into cities. As space shrinks, expectations of comfort grow. This demographic pressure places urban planners before a difficult equation: how to secure mobility and quality of life without excessive smog and traffic collapse.
The answer lies in merging two key pillars of modern society: energy and transport. The Fourth Industrial Revolution offers us the opportunity to transform these systems from passive consumers into smart, sustainable ecosystems.
Energy and Transport: Two Sides of the Same Coin
For decades, energy and transport were viewed separately. Today, thanks to digitalization and advances in battery technology, they are inseparable. The way we move directly influences how we consume and produce electricity.
Our perception of transport is already changing. Ride-sharing and HOV lanes are only the beginning. By 2030, more than a quarter of kilometers traveled worldwide will be through shared mobility. With ecological subsidies and falling technology costs, electric vehicles (EVs) are no longer a luxury but a standard. Conservative forecasts suggest that by the end of the decade, every third car sold will be electric.
At Schneider Electric, we are not just observers of these trends. Through The Climate Group’s #EV100 initiative, we have committed to replacing our entire fleet of 14,000 vehicles with EVs by 2030. Our message is clear: electricity is the only sustainable future of mobility.
Infrastructure That Thinks
To make this vision a reality, we need infrastructure that is not just “present,” but “smart.” The development of charging networks must follow the logic of human movement. Fast chargers on highways and fuel stations meet the need for immediate energy, while standard chargers in hotels, shopping centers, and office buildings use the time when vehicles are parked.
In Europe, Schneider Electric has already installed more than 100,000 chargers, with numbers steadily growing in Serbia and Montenegro. Yet installation is only the first step. The real challenge—and opportunity—lies in integrating these chargers into the power system.
Batteries on Wheels: The Decarbonization Revolution
Investing in massive energy capacities just to cover peak demand (morning, lunch breaks, evening) is economically unsustainable. The solution lies in smart management and storage.
Imagine chargers with their own battery modules. They charge when the grid is underutilized or electricity is cheapest, then deliver that energy to vehicles when demand peaks. Balancing between the grid, storage, and end users is enabled by our EcoStruxure platform, which provides full analytics and management of complex systems.
Even more exciting is the Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) concept. In the near future, EVs will become decentralized energy points—“batteries on wheels.” Drivers will be able to charge their cars at night at low tariffs, then feed excess energy back into the grid during the day at commercial rates. Pilot projects, such as the one in Denmark (Enel and Nissan), show that vehicles can generate significant savings for owners while simultaneously supporting grid stability.
Green Synergy
The future of cities depends on how quickly we connect green energy sources with transport. Using rooftop solar panels to directly charge EV fleets is no longer a distant vision, but a sustainability imperative.
Smart charging stations will not be mere consumers. They will be guardians of grid stability. Schneider Electric is here to provide the technology, but transformation requires courageous leadership and collaboration across the industry. Our goal is clear: cities that breathe, energy that is clean, and transport that connects us without pollution.
