Dynamic scheduling of electric vehicle charging under limited power and phase balance constraints

Abstract

We confront the problem of scheduling the charge of electric vehicles, under limited electric power contract, with the objective of maximizing the users’ satisfaction. The problem is motivated by a real life situation where a set of users demand electric charge while their vehicles are parked. Each space has a charging point which is connected to one of the lines of a three-phase electric feeder. We first define the problem as a Dynamic Constraint Satisfaction Problem (DCSP) with Optimization. Then, we propose a solution method which requires solving a number of CSPs over time. Each one of these CSPs requires in its turn solving three instances of a one machine sequencing problem with variable capacity. We evaluated the proposed algorithm by means of simulation across some instances of the problem. The results of this study show that the proposed scheduling algorithm is effective and produces much better results than some classic dispatching rules