While higher use of electric vehicles (EV) is a goal of governments and organizations conscious of energy conservation and environmental sustainability, EVs still have to attract owners. This project hypothesizes that the proper placement and sizing of battery-exchange (BE) facilities will make EVs more appealing since the driver's anxiety that the vehicle will run out of charge before reaching the destination will be decreased. Optimal location of BE facilities decrease the detouring required for swapping batteries, while optimal sizing of facilities improves quality of service of the facilities. This project comprehensively addresses the "Design, Analysis and Evaluation of Battery-Changing Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles" from a systems perspective.
Greater attraction and higher market penetration of EVs will lead to a cleaner environment and less dependence on oil and gasoline. The project will be useful to automobile companies that manufacture EVs, urban and transportation planners, energy grid operators, service companies that offer recharged batteries, and, last but not least, the Denmark Technical University where the project team's collaborates with researchers who are studying to fast-track EV penetration in Denmark. Also, besides the direct relevance to EV-based transportation, the several new models and methods developed intellectually contribute to the fields of operations research, computer science, industrial engineering, transportation, geographical analysis, and related fields. They also are applicable to alternative fueled vehicles where empty tanks or canisters are exchanged for full ones, such as for hydrogen-powered vehicles. The project's educational impacts include enhancements of curricula and laboratory experiences, workforce development, and student diversity.
