EVLibSim: A tool for the simulation of electric vehicles’ charging stations using the EVLib library

Abstract

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are considered an efficient alternative to internal combustion engined ones, aiming to reduce global CO2 emissions. In the last years, EVs are entering the market in an increasing pace. In contrast to conventional cars, EVs have a more complicated recharging procedure. Thus, the development of tools for the efficient simulation of the charging of large numbers of EVs is critical. In this vein, EVLibSim is a tool for the simulation of EV activities at a charging station level. EVLibSim unifies EVLib’s primary functions such as the charging and dis-charging of batteries, battery swapping, as well as parking/inductive charging. EVLib is a Java library that provides a simple, yet efficient framework for the management of a number of Electric Vehicle (EV) activities, at a charging station level, within a Smart Grid. EVLibSim provides a great variety of configuration options such as the types and number of chargers, the available energy, the waiting queues, etc. Furthermore, through plots and overview dashboards each user can supervise the operation of the tool in real time. Both EVLib’s and EVLibSim’s efficiency and scalability have been tested in realistic scenarios, while the correctness and safety of the code have been verified using state of the art tools. Finally, the user experience of the EVLibSim has been evaluated and improved through a detailed user evaluation.