Route optimization of battery electric vehicles using dynamic charging on electrified roads

Abstract

The Electric Road System (ERS) is an innovative technology enabling electric vehicles (EVs) to charge while in motion, offering increased EV range and cost-effective battery solutions. This advancement is particularly valuable for logistics companies seeking to enhance their EV adoption. To provide long-distance delivery routes for heavy-duty EVs through ERSs, we present a first-time attempt to solve the Electric Vehicle Travelling Salesman Problem with Dynamic Charging, where the EV can be charged while driving on the electrified road segments. We formulate this problem by considering path choices between consecutive customers and propose a network reduction heuristic (NRH) to solve large-size instances. We test our model and NRH on grid-like synthetic instances and real-world data developed from the UK road network. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of the NRH and highlight the potential of ERSs in improving logistics activities and decarbonising road transport. Our experiments revealed that although the typical driving range of most EVs falls short of 400 kilometres, with the widespread deployment of ERS, EVs can traverse distances exceeding 2000 kilometres without requiring recharging stops. Our experiments also revealed that establishing infrastructure on approximately 30 % to 40 % of all roadways is adequate to ensure reliable access for EVs.