•A highly efficient receding horizon charging coordination framework is introduced.•Two-stage hierarchical optimization routine is designed to facilitate dynamic control.•Charging coordination has ...been validated on a high-fidelity demonstration platform.•Charging coordination for large PEV populations can be performed highly efficiently.
The potential for widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) brings with it the potential for negative impacts on the electric grid from electric vehicle charging. Uncoordinated PEV charging may increase electricity demand during peak hours, which could create concerns for the grid as the number of PEVs increases. Therefore, it is important to coordinate charging to alleviate potential negative impacts. Centralized charging coordination is preferred by grid operator over distributed control strategies because it can systematically allocate energy across a large population of PEVs and achieve global coordination benefits. However, centralized methods presented in the literature to date require prohibitively expensive computational resources and lack realistic PEV charging models. As a result, they cannot achieve the efficiency and accuracy required to implement charging coordination in the real world. This paper introduces a highly efficient receding horizon control framework that enables dynamic charging coordination for large PEV populations. A two-stage hierarchical optimization routine is proposed that aggregates individual PEV charging flexibility to reduce the computational complexity of the optimization process. The control framework is based on high-fidelity, validated charging system models and charging behavior models derived from a real-world data set of residential charging activities collected from thousands of charging stations over multiple years. Case studies illustrate that the proposed charging control framework is capable of effectively coordinating the charging of millions of PEVs using a standard desktop computer.
An appropriate charging infrastructure is one of the key aspects needed to support the mass adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and it is suggested that publically available fast chargers ...could play a key role in this infrastructure. As fast charging is a relatively new technology, very little research is conducted on the topic using real world datasets, and it is of utmost importance to measure actual usage of this technology and provide evidence on its importance to properly inform infrastructure planning. 90,000 fast charge events collected from the first large-scale roll-outs and evaluation projects of fast charging infrastructure in the UK and the US and 12,700 driving days collected from 35 BEVs in the UK were analysed. Using multiple regression analysis, we examined the relationship between daily driving distance and standard and fast charging and demonstrated that fast chargers are more influential. Fast chargers enabled using BEVs on journeys above their single-charge range that would have been impractical using standard chargers. Fast chargers could help overcome perceived and actual range barriers, making BEVs more attractive to future users. At current BEV market share, there is a vital need for policy support to accelerate the development of fast charge networks.
•Working with unique datasets of BEV and fast charge infrastructure usage in the UK and US.•Typical energy transfer from fast chargers is approximately half of the BEV battery capacity.•Regression model showed that fast charging is more influential than standard charging.•Fast chargers could help overcome perceived and actual range barriers to BEV adoption.•Without fast chargers, the transition from liquid-fuel vehicle to BEVs will be affected.
Electric Vehicles (EV) present a unique challenge to electric power system (EPS) operations because of the potential magnitude and timing of load increases due to EV charging. Time-of-Use (TOU) ...electricity pricing is an established way to reduce peak system loads. It is effective at shifting the timing of some customer-activated residential loads – such as dishwashers, washing machines, or HVAC systems – to off-peak periods. EV charging, though, can be larger than typical residential loads (up to 19.2 kW) and may have on-board controls that automatically begin charging according to a pre-set schedule, such as when off-peak periods begin. To understand and quantify the potential impact of EV charging’s response to TOU pricing, this paper simulates 10 distribution feeders with predicted 2030 EV adoption levels. The simulation results show that distribution EPS experience an increase in peak demand as high as 20% when a majority of the charging begins immediately after on-peak times end, as might occur if EV charging is automatically scheduled. However, if charging start times are randomized within the off-peak period, EV charging is spread out and the simulations showed a decrease in the peak load to be 5% lower than results from simulations that did not implement TOU rates.
Battery thermal barriers are reviewed with regards to extreme fast charging. Present-day thermal management systems for battery electric vehicles are inadequate in limiting the maximum temperature ...rise of the battery during extreme fast charging. If the battery thermal management system is not designed correctly, the temperature of the cells could reach abuse temperatures and potentially send the cells into thermal runaway. Furthermore, the cell and battery interconnect design needs to be improved to meet the lifetime expectations of the consumer. Each of these aspects is explored and addressed as well as outlining where the heat is generated in a cell, the efficiencies of power and energy cells, and what type of battery thermal management solutions are available in today's market. Thermal management is not a limiting condition with regard to extreme fast charging, but many factors need to be addressed especially for future high specific energy density cells to meet U.S. Department of Energy cost and volume goals.
•Aggressive thermal management will be required during extreme fast charging.•Present high energy density cells will need to increase their charge efficiency.•Cell design will have an impact on the temperature variation within the cell.•Battery interconnects will need to be robust and may require a redesign.
The battery technology literature is reviewed, with an emphasis on key elements that limit extreme fast charging. Key gaps in existing elements of the technology are presented as well as ...developmental needs. Among these needs are advanced models and methods to detect and prevent lithium plating; new positive-electrode materials which are less prone to stress-induced failure; better electrode designs to accommodate very rapid diffusion in and out of the electrode; measure temperature distributions during fast charge to enable/validate models; and develop thermal management and pack designs to accommodate the higher operating voltage.
•Key gaps in lithium-based battery technology are presented viz. extremely fast charging.•At cell level, lithium plating on anode remains an issue.•At cell level, stress-induced cracking of cathode material may be an issue.•Safety at pack level must be explored.
To achieve a successful increase in the plug-in battery electric vehicle (BEV) market, it is anticipated that a significant improvement in battery performance is required to increase the range that ...BEVs can travel and the rate at which they can be recharged. While the range that BEVs can travel on a single recharge is improving, the recharge rate is still much slower than the refueling rate of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. To achieve comparable recharge times, we explore the vehicle considerations of charge rates of at least 400 kW. Faster recharge is expected to significantly mitigate the perceived deficiencies for long-distance transportation, to provide alternative charging in densely populated areas where overnight charging at home may not be possible, and to reduce range anxiety for travel within a city when unplanned charging may be required. This substantial increase in charging rate is expected to create technical issues in the design of the battery system and the vehicle's electrical architecture that must be resolved. This work focuses on vehicle system design and total recharge time to meet the goals of implementing improved charge rates and the impacts of these expected increases on system voltage and vehicle components.
•BEV refueling time requires 4–6 C-rate charging and large battery capacities.•Peak charge rate less important than average rate for 150–200 mile range recharge.•XFC significantly impacts BEV voltage design, which may impact other EVs.•BEV-charging infrastructure coordination must provide consistent charge experience.
The ability to charge battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on a time scale that is on par with the time to fuel an internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) would remove a significant barrier to the ...adoption of BEVs. However, for viability, fast charging at this time scale needs to also occur at a price that is acceptable to consumers. Therefore, the cost drivers for both BEV owners and charging station providers are analyzed. In addition, key infrastructure considerations are examined, including grid stability and delivery of power, the design of fast charging stations and the design and use of electric vehicle service equipment. Each of these aspects have technical barriers that need to be addressed, and are directly linked to economic impacts to use and implementation. This discussion focuses on both the economic and infrastructure issues which exist and need to be addressed for the effective implementation of fast charging at 400 kW and above. In so doing, it has been found that there is a distinct need to effectively manage the intermittent, high power demand of fast charging, strategically plan infrastructure corridors, and to further understand the cost of operation of charging infrastructure and BEVs.
•Management of intermittent, high power demand is crucial.•Planning is needed for XFC including siting future corridors.•Planning needs to include cost of charging equipment, operation and installation.•Increased coordination needs to occur between governing authorities.•Safety, cyber physical security, interoperability and compatibility will impact use.
The pursuit of U.S. energy security and independence has taken many different forms throughout the many production and consumption sectors. For consumer transportation, a greater reliance on ...powertrain electrification has gained traction due to the inherent efficiencies of these platforms, particularly through the use of electric motors and batteries. Vehicle electrification can be generalized into three primary categories, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs); the latter two, PHEV and BEV, are often referred to as plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).
The potential for widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) brings with it the potential for negative impacts on the electric grid from electric vehicle charging. Uncoordinated PEV ...charging may increase electricity demand during peak hours, which could create concerns for the grid as the number of PEVs increases. Therefore, it is important to coordinate charging to alleviate potential negative impacts. Centralized charging coordination is preferred by grid operator over distributed control strategies because it can systematically allocate energy across a large population of PEVs and achieve a global optimum. However, centralized methods presented in the literature to date require prohibitively expensive computational resources and lack realistic PEV charging models. As a result, they cannot achieve the efficiency and accuracy required to implement charging coordination in the real world. This paper introduces a highly efficient receding horizon control framework that enables dynamic charging coordination for large PEV populations. A two-stage hierarchical optimization routine is proposed that aggregates individual PEV charging flexibility to reduce the computational complexity of the optimization process. The control framework is based on high-fidelity, validated charging system models and charging behavior models derived from a real-world data set of residential charging activities collected from thousands of charging stations over multiple years. Here, case studies illustrate that the proposed charging control framework is capable of effectively coordinating the charging of millions of PEVs using a standard desktop computer.
Electric Vehicles (EV) present a unique challenge to electric power system (EPS) operations because of the potential magnitude and timing of load increases due to EV charging. Time-of-Use (TOU) ...electricity pricing is an established way to reduce peak system loads. It is effective at shifting the timing of some customer-activated residential loads – such as dishwashers, washing machines, or HVAC systems – to off-peak periods. EV charging, though, can be larger than typical residential loads (up to 19.2 kW) and may have on-board controls that automatically begin charging according to a pre-set schedule, such as when off-peak periods begin. To understand and quantify the potential impact of EV charging’s response to TOU pricing, this paper simulates 10 distribution feeders with predicted 2030 EV adoption levels. The simulation results show that distribution EPS experience an increase in peak demand as high as 20% when a majority of the charging begins immediately after on-peak times end, as might occur if EV charging is automatically scheduled. However, if charging start times are randomized within the off-peak period, EV charging is spread out and the simulations showed a decrease in the peak load to be 5% lower than results from simulations that did not implement TOU rates.