Optimal Scheduling of Battery Swapping Stations for Electric Public Transportation

Abstract

The disruptive innovations of electric vehicle (EV) technology create many problems that have not been surmounted satisfactorily. One such problem is the optimization of the charging operation of a large number of EV batteries with diverse characteristics. Although charging stations are a straightforward choice in this regard, battery swap stations (BSSs) have emerged as a distinctive solution due to long battery charging times. BSSs have the potential to provide fast and effective solutions for EVs and can further facilitate the electrification of public transportation systems. This paper proposes an optimal charging schedule model for BSSs based on the battery swap demand of electric buses (EBs) that provide public transportation service. The proposed model does not require high-resolution measurements which may be unavailable for large public transportation systems. We further evaluate the capacity that the BSS can use to provide ancillary services for the grid. To demonstrate the application and effectiveness of our model, we carry out case studies by using public transportation data collected in Berlin, Germany.