Dynamic charging-while-driving systems for freight delivery services with electric vehicles: Traffic and energy modelling

This paper presents a research on traffic modelling developed for assessing traffic and energy performance of electric systems installed along roads for dynamic charging-while-driving (CWD) of fully electric vehicles (FEVs). The logic adopted by the developed traffic model is derived from a particular simulation scenario of electric charging: a freight distribution service operated using medium-sized vans. In this case, the CWD service is used to recover the state of charge of the FEV batteries to shortly start with further activities after arrival at the depot. The CWD system is assumed to be implemented in a multilane ring road with several intermediate on-ramp entrances, where the slowest lane is reserved for the dynamic charging of authorized electric vehicles. A specific traffic model is developed and implemented based on a mesoscopic approach, where energy requirements and charging opportunities affect driving and traffic behaviours. Overtaking manoeuvres as well as new entries in the CWD lane of vehicles that need to charge are modelled according to a cooperative driving system, which manages adequate time gaps between consecutive vehicles. Finally, a speed control strategy is simulated at a defined node to create an empty time-space slot in the CWD lane, by delaying the arriving vehicles. This simulated control, implemented to allow maintenance operations for CWD that may require clearing a charging zone for a short time slot, could also be applied to facilitate on-ramp merging manoeuvres.