Electrification potential of fuel-based vehicles and optimal placing of charging infrastructure: a large-scale vehicle-telematics approach

As apprehension grows over global warming and urban pollution, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are experiencing a rise in worldwide popularity. Yet, their market uptake has been slowed down due to high purchase prices and concerns over the limited battery range and the insufficient public charging infrastructure. This work uses a massive real-world dataset, containing the anonymized GPS traces from a fleet of private vehicles, to quantitatively evaluate if range anxiety (i.e.,the fear of being stranded due to EV’s limited range) is a rational concern. In particular, the fleet’s electrification potential is assessed by analyzing the driving patterns of more than fifty thousand vehicles over the course of an entire year. The results reveal the potential of BEVs, which could satisfy the range needs of much of the existing fuel-powered vehicle fleet with no alteration to the owners’ routines (except for overnight recharging). Furthermore, the mileage analysis is later used to pinpoint the so-called Eligible Stops, corresponding to real charging demand and opportunities. Eligible stops are aggregated through clustering analysis, obtaining a ranking of potential charging station sites. Finally, we quantitatively evaluate the effects of the increasing dissemination of charging facilities on the vehicles’ EV-switch suitability.