ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS OPTIMIZATION: A LITERATURE REVIEW AND PROSPECTS FOR SOPHISTICATION

Abstract

In contemporary society, depletion of fossil fuels and their impact on environment have shed light on the importance of moving toward vehicles that run on alternative-fuel sources. Among those vehicles the most promising and cutting edge in terms of sustainability and technology respectively are electrical vehicles (EVs). The adoption of EVs is considered a key driver on the way to the reduction air pollutions from the transport sector and improving environment in general. Proper development and deployment of EV infrastructure in cities across the world is paramount of importance for successful penetration of EVs in the market. This challenge has led researches to investigate possible ways for optimal location of EV charging stations that play a crucial role in the success of EV infrastructure. The optimal location for EV charging stations depends on a number of factors that include not only costs associated with charging EVs but also psychological issues such as range anxiety of EV drivers. In the literature, a variety of approaches, stochastic and deterministic variables, constraints and objective functions have been used in formulation of mathematical models that tried to address factors affecting integrity of EV infrastructure. In this article a review on the models - formulated on the basis of EV user approach -for optimal locating charging stations are demonstrated. Moreover, we present current research gaps and discuss possibilities that can be leveraged in further researches with respect to location selection of charging stations. Lastly, we show variables that should be considered in the formulation of models that are vital for increasing penetration of EVs in the market.