Quantifying the Costs of Charger Availability Uncertainty for Residents of Multi-Unit Dwellings

Even when charging at the highest rates currently available, Electric Vehicles (EVs) add range at substantially lower rates than Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICVs) do while fueling. In addition, DC charging comes at a cost premium and leads to accelerated battery degradation. EV users able to rely on AC charging during long dwells at home or work may experience cost and time savings relative to ICV users with similar driving patterns. However, EV users unable to charge during long dwells will face higher charging costs and higher dedicated charging time. An important question is how occupants of Multi-Unit Dwellings (MUDs), which provide some AC Electric Vehicle Supply Infrastructure (EVSE) but not enough for all cars to charge at once, will be effected. In this paper the authors’ previously published method for quantifying EV user inconvenience due to charging is extended to deal with stochastic charger availability. Stochastic Mixed Integer Linear Programming (S-MILP) is used to determine optimal charging behavior for EV users based on itineraries and the likelihood of availability of charging. Expected inconveniences for levels of charger availability and the quantitative value of additional EVSE and of charger scheduling schemes are presented.