EV Charging Simulator for Public Infrastructure Considering Smart Charging and Price Policies

The popularization of electric vehicles (electric vehicles (EVs)) is becoming an unstoppable trend in modern society. Thus, efficient simulation tools that can predict the EV operation and deployment are significant assets for charging point operators (CPOs), electric mobility service providers (EMSPs), charging service providers (CSPs) and electricity companies. In this paper, an algorithm for simulating the utilization and availability of public EV charging stations (CSs) has been developed. Based on several EV user features, the proposed algorithm generates realistic scenarios of CS availability, utilization, and impact over the distribution network via AC power flows. Moreover, the impact of considering smart charging (i.e., remote CS power limit control) and price policies is also modeled by the proposed algorithm. With these enhancements, the proposed simulation tool is used to predict the aggregated behavior of a population of EV users within the vicinity of two real distribution feeders. Results show the capacity of the proposed algorithm to generate realistic CS utilization statistics subject to different smart charging and price policies.