Multi-type electric vehicle relocation problem considering required battery-charging time

Abstract

This research discusses an electric vehicle (EV) relocation problem, wherein multiple types of EVs are transported using heterogeneous trucks. The initial position, battery level of the EVs, and the required number of EVs and empty parking slots at each station are provided as inputs. Relocations are performed during the night, while no EVs are used. Before the end of the relocation planning horizon, each EV must be charged to a certain battery level. The charging process can only be performed when the EV is not being transported. The objectives are to minimise the total transportation costs, the total truck fixed costs, and the total unsatisfied empty parking slot requirements while ensuring that all EV demands are satisfied. A mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model and construction and improvement heuristic approaches are proposed. The results of the computational experiments indicate that the proposed approaches perform well. [Received: 25 February 2019; Accepted: 26 August 2019]