Dynamic wireless charging lane reversal for connected and automated electric vehicles in highway

Abstract

Wireless charging lanes enable electric vehicles to be charged while driving, promoting the electrification and sustainability of transport systems. However, they cannot be fully covered on the highway due to construction costs. Conversion of several lanes of highways to wireless charging lanes is a more feasible option. In this paper, we propose a dynamic reversal strategy for wireless charging lanes in the presence of connected and automated vehicles on a highway. The proposed strategy aims to improve highway traffic efficiency while meeting electric vehicles’ uneven charging demand in different directions. A centralized controller is set to change wireless charging lane directions and guide traffic flow dynamically. Electric vehicles can access real-time lane reversal information for lane-changing and speed adjustment behaviors with connected and automated vehicle technology. We propose a modified multi-lane cell transmission model to model the traffic flow with different speed preferences on wireless charging and regular lanes. A mixed-integer linear program is developed for the proposed lane reversal strategy. Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed strategy can effectively reduce road congestion, meet the dynamic charging demand, and reduce the energy consumption of electric vehicles in different directions.