Characterization of electric vehicle fast charging forecourt demand

Not all Electric Vehicle (EV) charging in future will take place at drivers’ homes or on-street; at least some will take place at fast-charging ‘forecourts’ analogous to today’s petrol stations. This paper presents a Monte Carlo (MC)-based method for the characterization of the likely demand profile of EV fast charging forecourts based on activity profiles of existing petrol stations, derived from smartphone users’ anonymised positional data captured in the ‘Popular Times’ feature in Google Maps. Unlike most academic works on the subject to date which rely on vehicle users’ responses to surveys, these data represent individuals’ actual movement patterns rather than how they might recall or divulge them. Other inputs to the model are generated from probability distributions derived from EV statistics in the UK and existing academic work. A queuing model is developed to simulate busy periods at charging forecourts. The output from the model is a set of expected time series of electrical demand for an EV forecourt and statistical analysis of the variation in results. Finally, a method is presented for the probabilistic evaluation of the combined loading of an EV forecourt and existing demand; this could be used to assess the sufficiency of existing network capacity and the potential for innovative smart grid technologies to facilitate increasing penetration of EVs

A stochastic model for estimating electric vehicle arrival at multi-charger forecourts

Data availability: Data will be made available on request.Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Many countries are observing significant growth rates in electric vehicle (EV) uptake, often backed by financial incentives or regulation and legislation. The availability of large multi-charger sites for rapid EV charging with an experience similar to conventional refueling refuelling stations lowers the barrier to acceptance for drivers considering the switch to using an EV. The question arises about how to size such a facility at the design and planning stage, as well as accommodating growth in the number of EVs in daily use. One of the important factors is the vehicle arrival rate and the corresponding power and energy demand. EV charging is a function of several parameters, all of which are stochastic in nature, such as the vehicle daily travelled distance, charging start time and the required energy. To account for uncertainty in the parameters, a stochastic model has been designed to simulate realistic vehicle arrival rates. The model accounts for EVs coming from the site catchment area and opportunistic charging from passing traffic traveling travelling on the major roads adjacent to the site, the seasonality of parameters, and charging at places other than the site (competitive charging). The model produced plausible EV arrival patterns for both local and passing traffic, and reproduced the characteristic power demand at the case study site. All estimates incorporate uncertainty, reflecting realistic variability of the important parameters. The model in independent of location, uses open-source data, and is structured  flexibly, making it adaptable to new sites as part of the technical and business planning process.UK Research Council (UKRI) through Innovate UK under grant No. TS/T006471/1

Next Steps for Hydrogen - physics, technology and the future

Hydrogen has been proposed as a future energy carrier for more than 40 years. In recent decades, impetus has been given by the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. In addition, hydrogen has the potential to facilitate the large-scale deployment of variable renewables in the electricity system. Despite such drivers, the long-anticipated hydrogen economy is proving to be slow to emerge. This report stresses the role that physics and physics-based technology could play in accelerating the large-scale deployment of hydrogen in the energy system. Emphasis is given to the potential of cryogenic liquid hydrogen and the opportunities afforded by developments in nanoscience for hydrogen storage and use. The use of low-temperature liquid hydrogen opens up a technological opportunity separate from, but complementary with, energy applications. The new opportunity is the ability to cool novel materials into the superconducting state without the need to use significant quantities of expensive liquid helium. Two of the authors have previously coined the term “hydrogen cryomagnetics” for when liquid hydrogen is utilised in high-field and high-efficiency magnets. The opportunity for liquid hydrogen to displace liquid helium may be a relatively small business opportunity compared to global transport energy demands, but it potentially affords an opportunity to kick-start the wider commercial use of hydrogen. The report considers various important factors shaping the future for hydrogen, such as competing production methods and the importance of safety, but throughout it is clear that science and engineering are of central importance to hydrogen innovation and physics has an important role to play

The use of direct current distribution systems in delivering scalable charging infrastructure for battery electric vehicles

The use of low voltage direct current (LVDC) distribution is becoming recognised as a technology enabler that can be used to efficiently network native DC generators with DC loads, offer improved power sharing capabilities, reduce power system material resource requirements and enhance the performance of variable speed machinery. Practical deployment opportunities for LVDC range from small-scale microgrids in the context of energy for development to sophisticated, modern building-level power distribution systems for commercial office spaces, manufacturing applications and industrial processes. However, the incumbent AC distribution system benefits from existing technical product and safety standards, which makes the early adoption of LVDC systems challenging from a risk and cost perspective. Concurrently, the demand for native DC loads such as Battery Electric Transportation Systems is growing. This is especially significant in the area of private electric vehicles (EVs), taxis and buses, but the prospect of electric trucks, ferries and shortrange aircraft are also tangible opportunities. The success of this electric transport revolution depends on several factors, one of which is the availability of battery charging infrastructure that can cost effectively integrate with the existing electrical network, deliver adequate energy transfer rates and adapt to the rapid technical development of this industry. This thesis explores the application of two, novel LVDC distribution systems for the development of scalable EV charging networks; where charging infrastructure has the ability to scale with increasing EV adoption and has a lower risk of becoming a stranded asset in the future. The modelling is supported by real, rapid DC charger utilisation data from the national charging network in Scotland, comprising over 192 chargers and 400,000 charging events. During the work of this thesis, it was found that a combined heat and power (CHP) system can economically support short duration charging scenarios by providing additional power capacity in a congested electrical grid. In this case the highest system efficiency and Net Present Value (NPV) is achieved with a fuel cell directly connected to the DC charging network, compared to other gas reciprocating CHP options. Furthermore, the proposition of a reconfigurable LVDC charging network, interfaced to the public AC distribution network, reduces the capital outlay, offers a higher NPV and improved scalability compared to other charging solutions. For charging system designers and operators, it was found that rapid DC chargers can be classified by specific locations, each possessing a distinct Gaussian arrival pattern and Gamma distribution for charging energy delivered.The use of low voltage direct current (LVDC) distribution is becoming recognised as a technology enabler that can be used to efficiently network native DC generators with DC loads, offer improved power sharing capabilities, reduce power system material resource requirements and enhance the performance of variable speed machinery. Practical deployment opportunities for LVDC range from small-scale microgrids in the context of energy for development to sophisticated, modern building-level power distribution systems for commercial office spaces, manufacturing applications and industrial processes. However, the incumbent AC distribution system benefits from existing technical product and safety standards, which makes the early adoption of LVDC systems challenging from a risk and cost perspective. Concurrently, the demand for native DC loads such as Battery Electric Transportation Systems is growing. This is especially significant in the area of private electric vehicles (EVs), taxis and buses, but the prospect of electric trucks, ferries and shortrange aircraft are also tangible opportunities. The success of this electric transport revolution depends on several factors, one of which is the availability of battery charging infrastructure that can cost effectively integrate with the existing electrical network, deliver adequate energy transfer rates and adapt to the rapid technical development of this industry. This thesis explores the application of two, novel LVDC distribution systems for the development of scalable EV charging networks; where charging infrastructure has the ability to scale with increasing EV adoption and has a lower risk of becoming a stranded asset in the future. The modelling is supported by real, rapid DC charger utilisation data from the national charging network in Scotland, comprising over 192 chargers and 400,000 charging events. During the work of this thesis, it was found that a combined heat and power (CHP) system can economically support short duration charging scenarios by providing additional power capacity in a congested electrical grid. In this case the highest system efficiency and Net Present Value (NPV) is achieved with a fuel cell directly connected to the DC charging network, compared to other gas reciprocating CHP options. Furthermore, the proposition of a reconfigurable LVDC charging network, interfaced to the public AC distribution network, reduces the capital outlay, offers a higher NPV and improved scalability compared to other charging solutions. For charging system designers and operators, it was found that rapid DC chargers can be classified by specific locations, each possessing a distinct Gaussian arrival pattern and Gamma distribution for charging energy delivered

Sustainable Mobility and Transport

This Special Issue is dedicated to sustainable mobility and transport, with a special focus on technological advancements. Global transport systems are significant sources of air, land, and water emissions. A key motivator for this Special Issue was the diversity and complexity of mitigating transport emissions and industry adaptions towards increasingly stricter regulation. Originally, the Special Issue called for papers devoted to all forms of mobility and transports. The papers published in this Special Issue cover a wide range of topics, aiming to increase understanding of the impacts and effects of mobility and transport in working towards sustainability, where most studies place technological innovations at the heart of the matter. The goal of the Special Issue is to present research that focuses, on the one hand, on the challenges and obstacles on a system-level decision making of clean mobility, and on the other, on indirect effects caused by these changes

2009 Annual Progress Report: DOE Hydrogen Program

This report summarizes the hydrogen and fuel cell R&D activities and accomplishments of the DOE Hydrogen Program for FY2009. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production and delivery; fuel cells; manufacturing; technology validation; safety, codes and standards; education; and systems analysis