EV Depot Charger Allocation Using Priority and Load Stress Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for optimizing charging load on electric vehicle chargers at depots are inadequate, particularly in scenarios where space is limited, such as in dense urban areas, and do not effectively address the allocation of charging connectors based on energy requirements and availability.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that maps the occupancy of charging connectors, checks priority assignments, calculates a normalized stress metric for each charger, and allocates charging connectors to optimize load balancing and prioritize vehicles based on their energy needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If more charging infrastructure is installed to reduce congestion and delays, then charging capacity and service reliability improve, but depot space requirements and infrastructure costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary mapping of charging connector occupancy for a pre-determined time period before vehicle arrival. This advance planning allows optimal allocation of charging connectors based on predicted demand, reducing the need for additional charging infrastructure while maintaining service reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically allocates charging connectors based on real-time occupancy mapping and vehicle priority requirements. This dynamic optimization maximizes the utilization of existing charging infrastructure, allowing the same physical chargers to serve more vehicles efficiently without requiring additional depot space.
2Device complexity
If sequential charging scheme is used to simplify charger design, then device complexity reduces, but charging productivity and fleet turnover speed decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system maps charging connector occupancy in advance for a pre-determined time period and allocates connectors to vehicles before they arrive at the depot. This preliminary allocation ensures that sequential chargers are fully utilized without idle time, maximizing charging throughput despite the simpler sequential configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors charging connector occupancy and uses this feedback to optimize vehicle-to-charger allocation. By tracking which connectors are occupied and when they will become available, the system can sequence vehicle arrivals and departures to maximize the utilization of sequential charging connectors, maintaining high productivity without complex parallel configurations.
3Ease of operation
If charging connectors are allocated without priority consideration to maximize fairness, then allocation simplicity improves, but energy security and vehicle departure reliability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system assigns different priority levels to different charging connectors based on their characteristics, vehicle energy requirements, and departure time constraints. This differentiated allocation ensures that vehicles with urgent departure needs or higher energy requirements receive appropriate priority, guaranteeing their reliable departure while maintaining an simple automated allocation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system determines vehicle priority requirements and allocates charging connectors in advance before vehicles arrive at the depot. This preliminary priority-based allocation ensures that each vehicle is assigned to an appropriate charging connector that meets its energy and timing requirements, guaranteeing reliable departure without requiring complex real-time decision-making when vehicles arrive.
4Speed
If fast chargers are allocated to all vehicles to minimize charging time, then charging speed increases, but energy waste and infrastructure stress increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system matches vehicles with charging connectors based on their specific energy requirements and departure time constraints. Vehicles that need fast charging to meet their departure schedules are allocated fast chargers, while vehicles with more flexible timing or lower energy needs are allocated slower chargers. This differentiated allocation minimizes energy waste and infrastructure stress while ensuring each vehicle receives appropriate charging speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies fast charging only when necessary to meet vehicle departure requirements, rather than universally to all vehicles. By providing fast charging as a selective service based on actual need, the system achieves the necessary charging speed for timely departures while avoiding the energy waste and infrastructure stress that would result from universal fast charging deployment.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method of optimizing charging load on electric vehicle chargers and allocating charging connectors to an electric vehicle fleet at a depot, includes mapping occupancy of charging connectors at each charger, and prior to arrival of an electric vehicle at the depot, checking a priority assigned to unoccupied charging connectors, or sorting unoccupied charging connectors based on their priority. If there is a predetermined priority, mapping the electric vehicle to an unoccupied charging connector depending on priority and if the electric vehicle has a predetermined priority requirement, determining a normalized stress metric, selecting an unoccupied charger with lowest normalized stress metric, calculating an allocation of a connector at the charger based on balancing the normalized stress metric during use, allocating the charging connector to achieve balance, and mapping the electric vehicle to the allocated charging connector. A charging management system for an electric vehicle depot is also provided.