| Summary |
With global warming getting worse, all countries are actively promoting the electrification of public transportation to solve environmental pollution problems. However, the characteristics of electric buses have led to some challenges in the implementation of operations, such as: range anxiety, lack of chargers, and massive capital cost.
This study aims to develop a mixed integer programming model to optimize electric bus recharging schedules, which determines both the planning and operational decisions while minimizing annual operation costs. The contributions of this study are three. First, the integrated model make electric buses be charged more properly. Second, we add new constraint into model to make every bus return to depot with battery full charged, so that the transit agencies can use the same operation and recharging schedule to operate day after day. Finally, the model is considering more complicated dispatching mechanism and demonstrated using a real-world transit network based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Sensitivity analysis is concerned with different frequency, route length and extreme situations.
The results showed that range anxiety can be eliminated by adopting optimized recharging schedules. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the model could provide transit agencies with comprehensive guidance on the utilization of electric buses and development of a fast charging system. |
