This project will study the use of pricing to influence behavior in human-in-the-loop cyber-physical systems with an emphasis on electric vehicle (EV) charging. In EV charging systems, humans (drivers) interact with both cyber infrastructure, in the form of apps that provide information about location and other characteristics of charging infrastructure, and with physical infrastructure, in the form of EVs and their charging infrastructure. Given that EV charging can take hours, EV charging infrastructure often serves two purposes whose relative importance shifts dynamically depending on context: fueling the vehicle and providing a parking spot. Dynamic pricing tools communicated through apps are capable of influencing driver behavior to achieve desirable outcomes in both purposes. The results of the project will be tested using the Georgia Tech EV charging system as a testbed. The proposed combination of theoretical and empirical work on dynamic pricing tools for behavioral influence is highly translatable to other systems where prices can be directly communicated to consumers. Price-mediated EV driver behavior is highly societally relevant, with major ramifications for the sustainability of the long-term transportation system. The electric vehicle revolution will inextricably intertwine transportation infrastructure and energy infrastructure in new and significant ways that will alter how people consume electricity and how people move around. New interdependencies caused by the electrification of the transportation system will induce additional strain and will likely expose new vulnerabilities that dynamic pricing-based behavioral nudges could help mitigate.

The project consists of three major parallel activities that focus on characterizing the potential for dynamic pricing to influence behavior in the EV charging cyber-physical system. Task 1 includes large-scale observational studies using an extensive, high-resolution database of electric vehicle charging transactions across the US from a popular mobile platform in order to understand how electric vehicle users respond to price. Task 2 will evaluate the system-scale environmental implications of EV charging at various scales and with multiple technological scenarios, using life cycle assessment to consider environmental dynamics among vehicles, parking, and charging infrastructure. Task 3 will develop foundational dynamic pricing frameworks, to be refined by leveraging analyses of behavior and environmental impact from Tasks 1 and 2 to design dynamic pricing structures in order to achieve various engineering objectives emphasizing cost, social, and environmental sustainability in transportation. Our final task, Task 4, leverages an actual EV charging platform at Georgia Tech to implement and test results from Tasks 1 through 3. The main mechanism to enable the Georgia Tech campus as a living laboratory will be a collaboration with the Georgia Tech Parking and Transportation Services, which manages 22 Level 2 EV chargers across campus

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
1931980
Program Officer
David Corman
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2019-10-01
Budget End
2022-09-30
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2019
Total Cost
$1,018,602
Indirect Cost
Name
Georgia Tech Research Corporation
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Atlanta
State
GA
Country
United States
Zip Code
30332