Cloud-Based Charging Management of Electric Vehicles in a Network of Charging Stations

Abstract

A large scale of electric vehicles (EVs) and the operation of smart grid requires the support of a reliable and robust communication infrastructure. Cloud computing has gained popularity in smart grid for reducing computational and communication complexity. Based on cloud computing services, this paper considers the issues of high charging demand in fast charging stations (FCSs) during peak hours and communication among a large-scale of EVs, a network of FCSs, and system operator (SO). More specifically, we propose a novel cloud-based hierarchical charging management model of EVs, whereby two levels of cloud computing infrastructures are considered to meet different latency requirements of customers in highway exits and parking lots. Considering the quality of service (QoS) metrics (average waiting time in the queue, and blocking probability), the model is composed of: server planning in the cloud, capacity planning in FCSs, and profit maximization. Meanwhile, a price incentive mechanism is applied to shift the heavy load from peak hours to off-peak hours. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, which can guarantee QoS and system profit, thereby more customers can satisfy their charging demand.