Electric bus charging infrastructure planning considering solar photovoltaics energy and shared micromobility

Conference poster, 2024

Global transportation electrification is advancing the net-zero goal, but intensive charging needs and infrastructure expansion pose challenges to charging infrastructure, the power grid, and land use. This study focuses on charging-energy infrastructure optimization for shared charging hubs for battery electric bus (BEB) and shared micromobility systems (SMS), making the best of solar photovoltaics. We present a bi-level mixed-integer linear programming model (B-MILM) to optimize BEB charging infrastructure, solar PV capacity, and BEB and SMS charging schedule jointly. The B-MILM is solved using a value-function-based exact approach. We design super valid inequalities based on the problem characteristics to reduce solution time by at least 98% for large-scale cases. A case study in Gothenburg, Sweden, involving 70 bus routes, 61 bus terminals, and over 12,000 shared e-scooters, demonstrates that solar PV and shared charging services yield annual profits 110%-120% above investment costs for public transport agencies. Additionally, charging dispatching costs for e-scooter operators are reduced by 54%, and daily BEB charging grid loads decrease by 3% to 34% across seasons. Based on average greenhouse gas emission levels in Europe, the greenhouse emissions from electricity consumption of BEBs and e-scooters are reduced by 3%. This study offers novel insights for sustainable charging infrastructure planning and management in transportation.