Bi-level optimisation model for one-way electric carsharing stations based on survival model

Abstract

Electric carsharing is considered as one of the leading solutions to alleviate traffic problems and promote the sustainable development of cities. However, extensive planning method is used to determine the carsharing station and capacity in the case of mismatch between supply and demand, which is not conducive to bring social benefits into play and leads to the imbalance between investment and profit. The reason is that the strategic planning of the stations has not been well studied, especially when considering the maximum profit and profit stability simultaneously. In response, an electric carsharing station optimisation method that considers various factors is proposed. A bi-level optimisation model for electric carsharing station, which considers profit of company and convenience of user, is constructed based on the survival analysis. Then, a case study is conducted in Lanzhou, China to validate the model. Results show that the method proposed is conducive to promoting the sustainable profit of electric carsharing companies. Budget, survival distance and cover rate have significant impacts on the profit of companies. In addition, improving profit value and stability requires trade-off under budget constraints in electric carsharing system.