The anticipated mass roll-out of electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe and the continuously increasing number of distributed energy resources (DER) are posing major challenges to Europe’s Distribution System Operators (DSOs) with regard to ensuring a secure and reliable energy supply and network operation. Despite ongoing research and demonstration activities in this field, particularly the development of new and the revision of existing planning rules and operational principles of DSOs still require extensive R&D efforts. The overall objective of PlanGridEV is therefore to develop new network planning tools and methods for European DSOs for an optimized large-scale roll-out of electromobility in Europe whilst at the same time maximizing the potential of DER integration. The project will also identify gaps in current network operation procedures and update tools and methods to address local load and congestion issues, leveraging on the possibilities of managing EV as controllable loads. For the validation activities the project will rely on existing infrastructures of the four involved DSOs. Taking into account improved methods for network operation, regulatory frameworks and business models, PlanGridEV will bring about an evolution of current grid planning rules and investment strategies. The comprehensive approach takes into account requirements and constraints of all relevant stakeholders, particularly through an effective cooperation between Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and DSOs accompanied by leading scientific and technological research partners in the consortium. The project will have considerable impact on the environmental, economic, scientific and societal level by enabling a more cost-effective network planning and increasing the overall hosting capacity of European distribution networks. PlanGridEV will leverage on previous research results, coordinate with on-going initiatives and ensure a successful market uptake of the developed solutions.