Assessment of plug-in electric vehicles charging on distribution networks

Abstract

Electric vehicles' (EVs) penetration is expected to grow rapidly in the near future due to their low operating costs and low emissions as compared to conventional, fossil-fuel-powered vehicles. It is therefore essential for utilities to be equipped with the necessary tools to investigate the impact of these devices in their system well in advance. Since the operation, plug-in timing and energy consumption of the EVs is subject to uncertainty; probabilistic tools must be used in order to assess the impacts of these devices on the grid. A natural way to investigate the impact of these devices on distribution networks is by means of Monte Carlo simulations, as it is proposed in this paper. Since it is of paramount importance to set up realistic scenarios, a data set of real driving behavior for 34,000 drivers from the Chicago area is used. This work considers two different types of distribution loads, commercial and residential; and it also considers two different charging scenarios, charge-at-home-only and charge-at-work-and-home.