Fast charging stations placement methodology for electric taxis in urban zones

Abstract

In recent years, as a policy to increase penetration of electric vehicles and reduce air pollution, the number of electric taxis has increased in the transportation networks. In contrast to private electric vehicles, electric taxis need to recharge in a short time due to their constant operation and different driving patterns. Therefore, fast charging stations are required to meet the demand for recharging electric taxis and should be located at strategic places. To improve the sustainable planning of urban infrastructures, this paper presents a methodology to help in decision making for installing fast charging stations, considering the criteria of all urban planners involved in the installation process. The result of the proposal is a spatial database that identifies locations for charging stations that meet the predefined criteria. Such database can be visualized in geographic information systems of the urban planning department or the electrical service concessionaire. The proposed methodology is tested in a Brazilian medium-sized city showing the importance of this information in decision making. The proposal is compared with another spatial methodology, showing that the proposed method creates a better spatial distribution of charging stations giving better options for the main agents interested in the city.