A real-world investigation into usage patterns of electric vehicles in Shanghai

Abstract

Abstract The usage patterns of EVs is a great concern in Shanghai as the city with the largest number of EVs. Their usage patterns are investigated based on time series association and segmentation of historical static EV data from the real world. The results show that both BEV and PHEV are mostly used as commuting vehicles with an average speed of EVs of less than 25 km/h and about 80% of EVs travel within 60 km per day. Although there is no big difference between the speed of EVs and other models during the morning and evening rush hours, low-speed EVs have a significant environmental advantage over fuel vehicles. About 30% EVs have a relatively concentrated charging time between 21:00–24:00 while PHEVs with small battery capacity still present a small charging peak at about 9:00 in the morning in order to continue to travel with electricity on the way home. The charging locations in urban center are more intensive than those in suburban areas and EVs are charged more frequently in summer than in winter. It is necessary to optimize the layout of charging piles and orderly charging of EVs in the case of no capacity expansion of power transmission and distribution lines. The actual electricity consumption per 100 km of BEV or PHEV is greater than that provided by the manufacturer due to air conditioning energy consumption and complex driving conditions. The results are helpful to promote the development of EVs and layout of charging piles.