Ride Request Allocation with Fuel and Shift Constraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ride-sharing services face challenges in optimizing vehicle allocation, leading to increased mileage, driver overtime, unscheduled fuel stops, and higher fuel expenses, particularly with electric vehicles where charging times vary significantly.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a server arrangement and database to allocate vehicles to ride requests by selecting eligible vehicles based on proximity, fuel status, driver shift timings, and nearest fuel stations, ensuring the ride can be completed before the driver's shift ends and the vehicle has sufficient fuel to reach the destination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vehicles are allocated to maximize ride requests served, then vehicle utilization increases, but total mileage increases and fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by identifying fuel stations within predefined distances from drop locations before allocating vehicles. It predicts distance to empty for each vehicle and pre-selects eligible vehicles that satisfy fuel availability criteria, ensuring vehicles can complete trips without unscheduled stops. This advance planning optimizes routing to minimize total mileage while maintaining high vehicle utilization.
2Ease of operation
If vehicles are allocated without considering fuel station proximity, then allocation speed increases, but unscheduled fuel stops occur during trips
Solution Approach 1:
The system identifies fuel stations within predefined distances from drop locations as a preliminary step before vehicle allocation. By predicting distance to empty and pre-filtering vehicles based on fuel availability and driver shift timings, the system ensures selected vehicles can complete trips without unscheduled stops, maintaining both allocation efficiency and trip reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If longer travel time is accepted for unoptimized routing, then vehicle allocation flexibility increases, but fuel expenses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of route optimization by incorporating fuel station proximity and predicted distance to empty into the allocation algorithm. It dynamically adjusts vehicle selection based on fuel availability, drop location proximity to fuel stations, and driver shift timings, achieving optimal balance between allocation flexibility and fuel efficiency rather than using fixed routing rules.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If electric vehicles are used without considering charging time, then environmental benefits increase, but service availability decreases due to long charging durations
Solution Approach 1:
The system accounts for the varying charging parameters of electric vehicles by predicting distance to empty (or charge level) and considering charging time requirements in the allocation algorithm. It selects eligible vehicles based on their current energy state and the energy requirements of upcoming trips, ensuring EVs are assigned routes that allow charging during natural stops or between trips, thereby maintaining service availability while preserving environmental benefits.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is system and method for allocating vehicles to ride requests. A ride request comprising information indicative of a pickup location and a drop location of a given ride is received. Vehicle information of a plurality of currently-available vehicles, driver information of respective drivers of the plurality of currently-available vehicles and fuel-station information of the one or more of the plurality of fuel stations is accessed. A distance to empty for each of the plurality of currently-available vehicles is predicted based on the vehicle information. One or more eligible vehicles that satisfy eligibility criteria are selected from amongst the plurality of currently-available vehicles. A vehicle from amongst the one or more eligible vehicles that is nearest to the pickup location is allocated.