Modeling the impacts of incorporating mobile charging services into urban electric vehicle charging network using agent-based approach

The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing, necessitating a reliable and efficient charging infrastructure network. Currently, public fixed charging stations (FCS) are commonly used to meet the public charging needs of EV drivers while still presenting a significant gap in serving the ever-increasing charging demands. Hence, mobile charging services (MCS) have emerged as a cost-efficient solution to compensate for the limitations of FCS, allowing for charging at flexible locations and time. Nevertheless, the impacts of incorporating the MCS into the charging network have not been well understood. To this end, this study developed an agent-based simulation for modeling the interplays between EV drivers’ daily travels and the public charging network integrating both fixed charging infrastructure and mobile chargers to generate realistic daily charging profiles among various service modes. Subsequently, a case study in the Salt Lake City (SLC) metropolitan area is implemented to further explore the relationships between charging demand coverage, charging convenience, and EV drivers’ charging choice patterns in the public charging network with different market penetrations of MCS. The simulation results reveal that the MCS is capable of improving the performance of the overall charging network and user experience while potentially reducing demands on FCSs, particularly fast-charging facilities. Furthermore, individuals with higher charging comfort preferences and lower range anxiety exhibit a higher likelihood of adopting MCS. The findings of this study can inform policymakers, service providers, and other stakeholders on the feasibility of integrating the MCS into the urban public charging network.