Optimal deployment of battery-less truck mobile charging stations on motorways

Although fixed chargers have been installed on motorways, they often fail to meet the charging demand of electric vehicles (EV) on peak days. The battery-less truck mobile charging station (BL-TMCS) is a truck that carries chargers for EV and can be moved along motorways to provide additional energy. Based on a detailed analysis of the feasibility of using BL-TMCS, this paper proposed a solution to the problem. By integrating traffic simulation, the Monte Carlo method, the EV energy consumption model, and the user decision model for charging, a comprehensive simulation-based framework was established to estimate the spatio-temporal distribution of charging demand on motorways. A precise method was developed to calculate waiting time of users based on the real-time status of chargers. To minimise the average waiting time of users, an optimal deployment model for BL-TMCS was formulated considering constraints such as the number, operating costs and transfer times, and solved using a genetic algorithm. The numerical study shows that with a 50% increase in traffic volume on the test motorway, the deployment of two BL-TMCSs reduces the average waiting time from 21.76 to 0.75 min. These results highlight the effectiveness of the proposed solution and method.