Technical and economic sizing of custom electric vehicles with mobile electricity storage facilities for the provision of energy services in urban areas

Abstract

Nowadays, one of the most popular trends in the energy transition is the use of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in order to improve the energy efficiency and reliability of renewable energy sources (RES), while increasing energy security. However, it should be remembered that in highly urbanized environments, it is not always possible to install them in sites, mainly for fire safety reasons. As an alternative solution, the supply of electricity through mobile electricity storage facilities (MESF) can be used. Therefore, this article proposes the concept of custom electric vehicles (CEV) carrying additional battery packs with specified capacities. CEVs were divided into three categories, depending on the size of such a vehicle. In the main part of the research, optimization of the capacity of batteries acting as MESF was performed, taking into account constraints related to the vehicle's payload, the cost of batteries and the feasibility of energy services. These services were provided for a designated urban area, in which CEVs provided backup power supply services and optimization of the self-consumption rate. The results indicate that CEVs with a battery capacity of about 100 kWh should be built for vehicles with a payload of up to 700 kg. For vehicles with a payload of up to 1000 kg and a gross vehicle weight of no more than 3.5 t, mobile energy storage facilities will have a capacity of about 150 kWh, while for heavy-duty vehicles the results indicate the installation of MESFs with a capacity of 800 kWh. A major limitation, however, proved to be the cost of batteries for MESFs, which is assumed not to exceed the cost of purchasing a vehicle. Taking into account the aforementioned capacities, it is possible to provide enough electricity to partially balance urban consumers using CEVs with additional battery packs.