Temperature-Controlled Smart Charging for Electric Vehicles in Cold Climates

TL;DR

This paper introduces a temperature-controlled smart charging method for EVs in cold climates that optimizes heating and charging to reduce energy consumption and costs, leveraging thermal dynamics and solar energy.

Contribution

It presents a novel integrated model for temperature-sensitive EV charging that improves energy efficiency and cost savings in cold climate conditions.

Findings

Achieves 12.5-18.4% reduction in charging costs

Reduces heating energy use by 0.4-6.8%

Demonstrates effectiveness through simulation results

Abstract

The battery performance and lifespan of electric vehicles (EVs) degrade significantly in cold climates, requiring a considerable amount of energy to heat up the EV batteries. This paper proposes a novel technology, namely temperature-controlled smart charging, to coordinate the heating/charging power and reduce the total energy use of a solar-powered EV charging station. Instead of fixing the battery temperature setpoints, we analyze the thermal dynamics and inertia of EV batteries, and decide the optimal timing and proper amount of energy allocated for heating. In addition, a temperature-sensitive charging model is formulated with consideration of dynamic charging rates as well as battery health. We further tailor acceleration algorithms for large-scale EV charging, including the reduced-order dual decomposition and vehicle rescheduling. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed temperature-controlled smart charging is superior in capturing the flexibility value of EV batteries and making full use of the rooftop solar energy. The proposed model typically achieves a 12.5--18.4% reduction in the charging cost and a 0.4--6.8% drop in the overhead energy use for heating.