Smart Charging of Electric Vehicle Fleets: Modeling, Algorithm Development, and Grid Impact Analysis, with Emphasis on Fleets of Transit and Heavy-Duty Freight Vehicles
Electrification of the transportation sector has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles. However, with increasing penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) and their associated power demands, there is a need for charging strategies which minimize the cost for operators, maximize the usage of carbon-free electricity, and most importantly, minimize the peak demand on power distribution infrastructure. This is particularly important for large fleets of freight and people carriers (e.g., as used by Amazon, FedEx, public transportation systems, and a myriad of local transporters, as well as long-haul, over-the-road freight transportation) of high energy capacity EVs, which concentrate charging power demands both spatially and temporally. Smart charging represents a promising, near-term, and inexpensive approach to addressing these challenges. Based on input data such as time-of-use pricing, grid energy mix, and operator preferences, the investigators have shown previously that smart charging in residential settings can intelligently choose charging time windows and power profiles that minimize the EV owner’s cost to charge, and maximize the usage of carbon-free energy, while exploiting non-uniqueness in power profiles to decrease the impact on the grid and utilities. In the research, smart charging will be explored in the larger context of electric vehicle fleets carrying freight and/or people to assess its potential to again decrease charging costs, increase carbon-free energy usage, decrease spatially-concentrated peak demands on the grid, and lower infrastructure investment. Notably, the approach will exploit ‘greedy’ algorithms which accomplish the research goals without the requirement of coordinated charging, and thus can be readily adopted in the near-term at low cost. Assessment of the smart charging strategies as applied to freight and people carriers will also be conducted to determine their efficacy and to quantify benefits of interest to decision makers, such as utility operators and government regulators, who must decide on future infrastructure improvements and fleet regulations based in part on potential benefits derived from smart charging. Lastly, a partnership with Atlanta Public Schools (a minority-serving entity) will be explored to test smart charging algorithms for decreasing peak power demands in their upcoming deployment of 25 new electric buses in the fall of 2024.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $104000
-
Contract Numbers:
DOT 69A3552348319
DOT 69A3552344814
-
Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590National Center for Sustainable Transportation
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA United StatesGeorgia Institute of Technology
275 Ferst Drive NW
Atlanta, GA United States 30332-0150 -
Managing Organizations:
National Center for Sustainable Transportation
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA United StatesUniversity of California, Davis
1 Shields Ave
Davis, California United States 95616Georgia Institute of Technology
275 Ferst Drive NW
Atlanta, GA United States 30332-0150 -
Project Managers:
Iacobucci, Lauren
-
Performing Organizations:
University of California, Davis
1 Shields Ave
Davis, California United States 95616Georgia Institute of Technology
275 Ferst Drive NW
Atlanta, GA United States 30332-0150 -
Principal Investigators:
Viteri, Christian
Leamy, Michael
Taylor, David
- Start Date: 20230815
- Expected Completion Date: 20240814
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Electric buses; Electric vehicle charging; Electric vehicles; Fleet management; Grids (Transmission lines); Heavy duty vehicles; Infrastructure; Intelligent agents; Optimization; Peak periods; Power; Public transit; Residential areas
- Geographic Terms: Atlanta (Georgia)
- Subject Areas: Energy; Freight Transportation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01900217
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
- Contract Numbers: DOT 69A3552348319, DOT 69A3552344814
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Nov 20 2023 5:02PM