Mastersthesis,
Charging planning for electric buses
University of Würzburg, (2023)
Abstract
If a transit agency replaces part of its conventional bus fleet with electric buses, the allocation of buses to trips must be rethought to allow for sufficient charging time between trips for the electric buses. Factors such as fluctuating electricity prices, temperature-dependent energy consumption should also be considered. In preliminary work, this optimization problem was modeled as a mixed-integer linear program, which in principle can be used for potential studies ('How much energy could have been maximally saved for a specific time period by using electric buses?'), but in its current form can only be used for very short time periods due to its long runtime. The task of this thesis is to find an approach, based on the present model, to solve the problem for longer time periods (such as one year). For this, different (exact or heuristic) approaches are possible, for example a (partial) re-formulation of the model or a 'rolling horizon' approach (where the model is solved step by step for shorter, overlapping time periods. It would further be interesting to adapt the model for use in operational planning, where future energy prices and temperature conditions are subject to uncertainty.
