Locating passenger vehicle refueling stations

The study follows the concept of set cover and vehicle refueling logics to propose a hybrid model with dual objectives, using a mixed integer programming method, to economically site refueling stations to simultaneously serve intercity and intra-city travel. The model can be applied to plan a network of refueling stations for the emerging and/or monopolistic automotive market of alternative fuel vehicles. From a real-life case study, the factors of vehicle range and coverage distance are identified as playing important roles in any solution. Based on the non-inferior solutions, decision makers can thus better formulate viable station-deployment plans. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.