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Electric Vehicles in a Smart Grid Environment

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "E: Electric Vehicles".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 24803

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ahmed A. S. Mohamed

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Guest Editor

Center of Integrated Mobility Sciences (CIMS), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO 80007, USA
Interests: electric vehicle; charging technology; wireless charging; fast charging; power electronics; transportation electrification; PV power systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Transportation electrification is a revolution that will shape the current transportation sector and make it more efficient and environmentally friendly. However, challenges related to range anxiety, charging time, charging infrastructure, and grid impact need to be tackled to enable large-scale deployment. The proper planning and operation of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure has the potential to help to overcome these challenges. Toward this purpose, innovative papers related to electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, planning, optimization, grid impacts and mitigation, grid integration, smart charging and management, ancillary services (V2X), and deployment activities on electric vehicles are welcomed in this Special Issue. The fields of application can range from microvehicles to electric trucks, trains, ships, and airplanes.

Dr. Ahmed A. S. Mohamed
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Planning for charging infrastructure
In-route charging
Stationary charging
Grid impacts
Grid integration
Smart charging
Vehicle to everything (V2X)

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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28 pages, 6763 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Probabilistic Load Profile Model for Public Charging Infrastructure to Evaluate the Grid Load

by Andreas Weiß, Florian Biedenbach and Mathias Müller

Energies 2022, 15(13), 4748; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15134748 - 28 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1558

Abstract

The shift toward electric mobility in Germany is a major component of the German climate protection program. In this context, public charging is growing in importance, especially in high-density urban areas, which causes an additional load on the distribution grid. In order to evaluate this impact and prevent possible overloads, realistic models are required. Methods for implementing such models and their application in the context of grid load are research topics that are only minorly addressed in the literature. This paper aims to demonstrate the entire process chain from the selection of a modelling method to the implementation and application of the model within a case study. Applying a stochastic approach, charging points are modelled via probabilities to determine the start of charging, plug-in duration, and charged energy. Subsequently, load profiles are calculated, integrated into an energy system model and applied in order to analyze the effects of a high density of public charging points on the urban distribution grid. The case study highlights a possible application of the implemented probabilistic load profile model, but also reveals its limitations. The primary results of this paper are the identification and evaluation of relevant criteria for modelling the load profiles of public charging points as well as the demonstration of the model and its comparison to real charging processes. By publishing the determined probabilities and the model for calculating the charging load profiles, a comprehensive tool is provided. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electric Vehicles in a Smart Grid Environment)

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18 pages, 12233 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Framework to Analyze the Requirements of a Multiport Megawatt-Level Charging Station for Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles

by Partha Mishra, Eric Miller, Shriram Santhanagopalan, Kevin Bennion and Andrew Meintz

Energies 2022, 15(10), 3788; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15103788 - 21 May 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3373

Abstract

Widespread adoption of heavy-duty (HD) electric vehicles (EVs) will soon necessitate the use of megawatt (MW)-scale charging stations to charge high-capacity HD EV battery packs. Such a station design needs to anticipate possible station traffic, average and peak power demand, and charging/wait time targets to improve throughput and maximize revenue-generating operations. High-power direct current charging is an attractive candidate for MW-scale charging stations at the time of this study, but there are no precedents for such a station design for HD vehicles. We present a modeling and data analysis framework to elucidate the dependencies of a MW-scale station operation on vehicle traffic data and station design parameters and how that impacts vehicle electrification. This framework integrates an agent-based charging station model with vehicle schedules obtained through real-world vehicle telemetry data analysis to explore the station design and operation space. A case study applies this framework to a Class 8 vehicle telemetry dataset and uses Monte Carlo simulations to explore various design considerations for MW-scale charging stations and EV battery technologies. The results show a direct correlation between optimal charging station placement and major traffic corridors such as cities with ports, e.g., Los Angeles and Oakland. Corresponding parametric sweeps reveal that while good quality of service can be achieved with a mix of 1.2-megawatt and 100-kilowatt chargers, the resultant fast charging time of 35–40 min will need higher charging power to reach parity with refueling times. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electric Vehicles in a Smart Grid Environment)

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16 pages, 4029 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Coordinated Charging Scheduling of Electric Vehicles Considering Optimal Charging Time for Network Power Loss Minimization

by Muhammad Usman, Wajahat Ullah Khan Tareen, Adil Amin, Haider Ali, Inam Bari, Muhammad Sajid, Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, Alex Stojcevski, Anzar Mahmood and Saad Mekhilef

Energies 2021, 14(17), 5336; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14175336 - 27 Aug 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2850

Abstract

Electric vehicles’ (EVs) technology is currently emerging as an alternative of traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. EVs have been treated as an efficient way for decreasing the production of harmful greenhouse gasses and saving the depleting natural oil reserve. The modern power system tends to be more sustainable with the support of electric vehicles (EVs). However, there have been serious concerns about the network’s safe and reliable operation due to the increasing penetration of EVs into the electric grid. Random or uncoordinated charging activities cause performance degradations and overloading of the network asset. This paper proposes an Optimal Charging Starting Time (OCST)-based coordinated charging algorithm for unplanned EVs’ arrival in a low voltage residential distribution network to minimize the network power losses. A time-of-use (ToU) tariff scheme is used to make the charging course more cost effective. The concept of OCST takes the departure time of EVs into account and schedules the overnight charging event in such a way that minimum network losses are obtained, and EV customers take more advantages of cost-effective tariff zones of ToU scheme. An optimal solution is obtained by employing Binary Evolutionary Programming (BEP). The proposed algorithm is tested on IEEE-31 bus distribution system connected to numerous low voltage residential feeders populated with different EVs’ penetration levels. The results obtained from the coordinated EV charging without OCST are compared with those employing the concept of OCST. The results verify that incorporation of OCST can significantly reduce network power losses, improve system voltage profile and can give more benefits to the EV customers by accommodating them into low-tariff zones. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electric Vehicles in a Smart Grid Environment)

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16 pages, 1008 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analyzing the Charging Flexibility Potential of Different Electric Vehicle Fleets Using Real-World Charging Data

by Vincent Barthel, Jonas Schlund, Philipp Landes, Veronika Brandmeier and Marco Pruckner

Energies 2021, 14(16), 4961; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14164961 - 13 Aug 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2236

Abstract

A successful transformation of the energy and transportation sector is one of the main targets for our society today. Battery electric vehicles can play a key role in future renewable-based energy supply systems because of their ability to store electrical power. Additionally, they provide significant charging flexibility due to the long parking durations. In this paper, we provide insights into the temporal and power-specific flexibility behavior of three different vehicle fleets. These fleets are pool vehicles of office employees, a public authority, and a logistics company. Several parameters, such as the average charging power per charging event or the average plug-in duration per charging event, are discussed. Additionally, we investigate different charging rates and their impact on the temporal flexibility of the charging events. The data analysis shows that the logistics site has the most homogeneous charging profile as well as high charging flexibility, in contrast to the office and public agency site. The results are of significant importance for future applications in the field of smart charging and ancillary services provision. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electric Vehicles in a Smart Grid Environment)

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23 pages, 7331 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seven-Level Inverter with Reduced Switches for PV System Supporting Home-Grid and EV Charger

by Ahmed Ismail M. Ali, Mahmoud A. Sayed and Ahmed A. S. Mohamed

Energies 2021, 14(9), 2718; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14092718 - 10 May 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2765

Abstract

This paper proposes a simple single-phase new pulse-width modulated seven-level inverter architecture for photovoltaic (PV) systems supporting home-grid with electric vehicle (EV) charging port. The proposed inverter includes a reduced number of power components and passive elements size, while showing less output-voltage total harmonic distortion (THD), and unity power factor operation. In addition, the proposed inverter requires simple control and switching strategies compared to recently published topologies. A comparative study was performed to compare the proposed inverter structure with the recent inverter topologies based on the number of components in the inverter circuit, number of components per output-voltage level, average number of active switches, THD, and operating efficiency as effective parameters for inverter performance evaluation. For design and validation purposes, numerical and analytical models for a grid-tied solar PV system driven by the proposed seven-level inverter were developed in MATLAB/Simulink environment. The inverter performance was evaluated considering grid-integration and stand-alone home with level-2 AC EV charger (3–6 kW). Compared with recently published topologies, the proposed inverter utilizes a reduced number of power components (7 switches) for seven-level terminal voltage synthesis. An experimental prototype for proposed inverter with the associated controller was built and tested for a stand-alone and grid-integrated system. Due to the lower number of ON-switches, the inverter operating efficiency was enhanced to 92.86% with load current THD of 3.43% that follows the IEEE standards for DER applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electric Vehicles in a Smart Grid Environment)

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Review

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59 pages, 6700 KiB

Open AccessReview

An Overview of Dynamic Inductive Charging for Electric Vehicles

by Ahmed A. S. Mohamed, Ahmed A. Shaier, Hamid Metwally and Sameh I. Selem

Energies 2022, 15(15), 5613; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15155613 - 02 Aug 2022

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 10190

Abstract

Inductive power transfer (IPT) technology offers a promising solution for electric vehicle (EV) charging. It permits an EV to charge its energy storage system without any physical connections using magnetic coupling between inductive coils. EV inductive charging is an exemplary option due to the related merits such as: automatic operation, safety in harsh climatic conditions, interoperability, and flexibility. There are three visions to realize wireless EV charging: (i) static, in which charging occurs while EV is in long-term parking; (ii) dynamic (in-motion), which happens when EV is moving at high speed; and (iii) quasi-dynamic, which can occur when EV is at transient stops or driving at low speed. This paper introduces an extensive review for IPT systems in dynamic EV charging. It offers the state-of-the-art of transmitter design, including magnetic structure and supply arrangement. It explores and summarizes various types of compensation networks, power converters, and control techniques. In addition, the paper introduces the state-of-the-art of research and development activities that have been conducted for dynamic EV inductive charging systems, including challenges associated with the technology and opportunities to tackle these challenges. This study offers an exclusive reference to researchers and engineers who are interested in learning about the technology and highlights open questions to be addressed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electric Vehicles in a Smart Grid Environment)

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