A Cost-Effective Electric Vehicle Intelligent Charge Scheduling Method for Commercial Smart Parking Lots Using a...

Area of Science:

• * Electrical Engineering
• * Computer Science
• * Operations Research

Background:

• * The widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) presents challenges in managing charging infrastructure, particularly regarding cost-effectiveness and grid integration.
• * Efficient parking lot management is crucial for accommodating a growing number of EVs and meeting their energy demands.
• * Integrating EV charging with utility demand response (DR) programs offers a pathway to optimize energy consumption and costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To develop a real-time smart parking lot model for electric vehicles (EVs).
• * To maximize parking lot revenue by accommodating the maximum number of EVs.
• * To minimize power consumption costs through participation in utility demand response (DR) programs.

Main Methods:

• * A linear programming-based binary/cyclic (0/1) optimization technique was developed for EV charge scheduling.
• * A simplified convex relaxation technique was integrated with the linear programming solution to address real-time computational complexity.
• * The proposed model was compared against existing variable charging rate-based techniques.

Main Results:

• * The proposed scheme achieved minimum power consumption cost for the EV smart parking lot.
• * Efficient utilization of available power and maximization of the number of EVs charged were realized.
• * A 2.9% decrease in overall power consumption cost and a 2.8% increase in the number of EVs charged were observed in a 500 EV scenario compared to variable charging rates.
• * Significant improvements in average state-of-charge (SoC) and reduced charging time intervals were noted.

Conclusions:

• * The developed EV smart parking model effectively balances revenue maximization with cost minimization.
• * Integration with DR programs enables intelligent, incentive-based EV charging schedules.
• * The proposed optimization technique offers a practical solution for real-time EV smart parking management, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs.