Vehicle Electrification

Plug-in vehicles, ranging from plug-in hybrids with a few miles of electric range to pure battery electrics with hundreds of miles of range, are proliferating in the marketplace. When and where drivers charge these vehicles  has implications for the emissions created by electricity generation and for the loads that vehicles place on the electric grid. Our lab has been one the pioneers in developing models of actual charging choices.

Current Projects

• With support from the National Science Foundation, we are collecting data and developing models that account for the interdependence of decisions about plug-in vehicle use. For instance, expectations about travel plans and opportunities for charging affect the choice of whether to use a plug-in or conventional vehicle. And the decision to charge at a charging station depends on uncertain costs and opportunities to charge later in a trip.
• With support from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), we are analyzing long-distance travel patterns in Washington. Our work will help WSDOT to identify and prioritize where to install fast-charging stations to support current EV owners and help grow the market.
• With support from C2SMART and ReachNow we are developing methods for managing electric vehicle charging in carsharing fleets and designing supporting charging infrastructure systems.

Completed Projects

• We developed an interactive online tool to allow infrastructure planners to explore the tradeoffs between reliability, utilization, and profitability in DC fast-charging stations. More details can be found in this TRB paper.