The Optimization, Application, and Theory of Electric Vehicles and Their Practical Implications: Technical, Legal, Social and Transportation Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the constant increase in the degree of motorization and the level of individual motor traffic, cities are being exposed to growing problems in noise, air pollution, congestion, and stationary traffic. Electric vehicle (EV) and electric bus use have the capacity to change the current vehicular portfolio and reduce or eliminate previously mentioned issues. That is to say, they can transform both the traffic and transportation field, but also the fields of power engineering and electronics. In discourse surrounding EVs, their components, and the practical implications of their use, the role of traffic and transportation is often blurred in the context of their role and significance in operational, tactical, and strategic decisions.

For example, to make a tactical decision about where to install chargers for EVs, several transportation perspectives, such as roadway design, traffic operations, and transit-oriented development, need to be incorporated into the optimization process. However, questions remain as to whether this requirement is sometimes or often neglected in practice. Additionally, issues of “green electricity” supply, interconnection to the grid, operating conditions, and effects on power quality in the grid-to-vehicle (G2V) mode and the possibility for the grid support in the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) mode are important. Other relevant topics are considered, such as safety issues and driver satisfaction, the implication of insurance, and the risks of traffic accidents when using autonomous vehicles (AV). Indeed, there are questions as to who should be responsible if a traffic accident with an AV occurs and people are injured. Finally, the research community should continue to work on organizational and logistical aspects of these issues owing to their implications for the supply chain of batteries and other parts of EVs, last-mile delivery with EVs, inventory management, and the disposal of used parts. For example, if the global supply chain of batteries becomes broken, like during COVID 2020, who should overcome delays in shipping, and how to overcome those barriers most efficiently?

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to exchange the latest knowledge and ideas on EVs, their components, and practical implications from both, electronics and transportation perspectives. This holistic and interdisciplinary approach should fill the gap in EV theory, modeling, and practice. Researchers are encouraged to explore:

• EV routing problems and new variants of traveling salesman problem;
• Optimization of charging infrastructure, and “green-electricity” supply;
• Interconnection with the grid, G2V, and V2G operation modes, and power quality issues;
• Impact of EVs on air pollution, noise, congestion, and urban mobility;
• EV supply chains;
• Last-mile delivery with EV;
• Soft computing techniques in decision support transportation systems;
• New issues and challenges in the development of autonomous vehicles (AV);
• Social and law perspectives for AVs usage;
• Security aspects of EV, insurance;
• EV and transportation planning policies;
• Effects of EVs, electric buses, and AVs on urban planning.

Paper sources:

• Adapted papers from the conferences:
• 9^th International Conference “Towards a Human City”, Oct. 19-20, 2023, Novi Sad, Serbia https://humanecityns.org/
• 22^nd International Symposium on Power Electronics (Ee 2023), Oct. 25-28, 2023, Novi Sad and Belgrade, Serbia (Topics related to Automotive and Industrial Electric Drives, Smart Power Electronics, Smart Grids, and Energy Storage, Power Quality, Renewable and distributed energy resources) http://www.dee.uns.ac.rs/index.html?r

• Individual or team contributions: Overview papers and Original papers.

Prof. Dr. Vladimir Katic
Guest Editor

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