Dynamic Programming-Based Optimal Charging Scheduling for Electric Vehicles

Abstract

The charging scheduling of electric vehicles not only affects the operation of the grid system, but also affects the charging cost of vehicle users. This paper studies the charging scheduling problem of electric vehicles from the user’s perspective by considering the grid’s as well as the user’s needs. On the basis of real-time electricity prices, an electric vehicle charging scheduling system aiming at the lowest charging cost is designed and an optimal charging scheduling method based on dynamic programming is established. In order to reduce the unnecessary computational expenses, this paper optimizes the dynamic programming algorithm, and defines the state transition limit of the dynamic programming search space according to the actual constraints, which reduces the computational complexity. The simulation results show that, on the premise of satisfying the power constraints and user charging demands, the electric vehicles charging scheduling system can effectively reduce the charging cost and time. In addition, the charging process has little impact on the power system from the perspective of grid fluctuation.