Energy optimisation and control of autonomous electric vehicles

Research Project, 2020 – 2021

The traditional routing problem is reinvigorated by emerging transport technologies where the fleet consists of autonomous electric vehicles. With specific battery capacities, vehicles have limited driving range and may have to visit charging stations for energy top-up to avoid being stranded. This naturally gives rise to another problem, charge scheduling. The routing and charge scheduling problems are inherently coupled, e.g., over battery dynamics and available charging resources, but their interactions are often neglected or overly simplified. One goal of this project to develop a unified framework for how to derive the most efficient route. The research scope will then be extended to a vehicle fleet. We are aimed to propose a method for how to possibly best drive the vehicle fleet in terms of safety, energy efficiency, and battery health. This will involve control of individual vehicles under the context of automation and connectedness.

The project is supported by Chalmers AoA Transport Foundation, with a total budget of 1.624 million SEK (incl. matchup funding).