Expanding charging infrastructure for large scale introduction of electric vehicles

Currently EVs constitute only 1% of all vehicles on the road. We are at the eve of the large scale introduction of EVs. Large scale introduction requires a significant growth in charging infrastructure. In an urban context, in which many rely on on-street charging facilities, policy makers deal with a large number of concerns. Policy makers are uncertain about which charging deployment strategy to follow. This paper presents results from simulating different strategies for charging infrastructure roll to facilitate a large scale introduction of EVs using agent based simulation. In contrast to other models, the model uses observed charging patterns from EVs instead of travel patterns of fossil fuelled cars. The simulation incorporates different user types (Inhabitants, visitors, taxis and sharing) to model the complexity of charging in an urban environment. Different scenarios are explored along the lines of the type of charging infrastructure (level 2, clustered level 2, fast charging), the intensity of rollout (EV to Charging point ratio) and adoption rates. The simulation measures both the success rate and the additional miles cruising for a charging station. Results shows that scaling effects in charging infrastructure exist allowing for more efficient use of the infrastructure at a larger size.