Optimizing charging schedules and assessing passenger commuting equilibrium for electric shuttles with shared charging stations

Abstract

Transit electrification has been rapidly growing to decarbonize our communities and form a cleaner and more advanced transit system for sustainable mobility. Transit is also the only transportation option for many communities, such as youth and the elderly. However, affordable and feasible charging infrastructure and operation remain a key challenge for electric transit due to the complex planning and associated costs. This study proposes an electric transit charging strategy with shared public charging stations rather than dedicated transit charging installation. The study devises an optimal charging schedule to minimize the charging costs and further evaluate the impacts of the charging schedules on passengers’ onboarding patterns through a commuting user equilibrium model. The proposed optimization model of charging scheduling determines the number of service trips that involve charging processes, the selected public charging stations, and the timing of charges, thus making decisions about charging plans for transit vehicles. The corresponding passenger onboarding patterns show that transit vehicles with higher battery capacities and better conditions (e.g., newer versus older batteries) lead to lower individual equilibrium trip costs for passengers. The proposed strategy and models offer new forms of electric transit adoption and operations paving the way for sustainable pathways for transit operators and policy makers.