Optimal Location and Line Assignment for Electric Bus Charging Stations

This article considers an optimization problem aiming at planning the service stations to recharge a fleet of electric buses (EBs) for public transportation. The planning problem includes the selection of the sites of the stations (among a set of pre-specified eligible sites) and their sizing (both in terms of the number of sockets and maximum output power). The optimization problem also integrates issues related to the assignment of the various lines to the activated stations and the bus fleet's sizing. The formalization of the optimization problem is carried out by taking into account the nonlinear charging process characteristic of the batteries of EBs. The optimization problem is defined as a minimum cost design while guaranteeing a minimum quality level of the service, represented in this case by a minimum frequency for each of the lines. The overall decision problem turns out to be a mixed nonlinear one. It can be efficiently solved by common commercial software tools for moderate-medium problem sizes, as demonstrated in the presented application.

Automated summary

This article discusses an optimization problem in planning service stations for electric buses, considering the selection and sizing of sites, assignment of lines, and fleet sizing. The problem takes into account the non-linear charging process of the batteries and aims to achieve a minimum cost design while ensuring a minimum quality level. Commercial software tools can efficiently solve moderate-sized problems, as demonstrated in the presented application.