CONSENT: A Negotiation Framework for Leveraging User Flexibility in Vehicle-to-Building Charging under Uncertainty

TL;DR

This paper introduces a negotiation framework for EV charging that balances building energy costs and user convenience, leveraging user flexibility to achieve mutual benefits under uncertainty.

Contribution

It presents a novel negotiation-based approach that guarantees participation, strategy-proofness, and feasibility, transforming EV charging into a strategic resource with incentive options.

Findings

Reduced building costs by over 3.5% with negotiation.

Lowered user charging expenses by 22% below retail rates.

Validated with real data and simulations showing mutual benefits.

Abstract

The growth of Electric Vehicles (EVs) creates a conflict in vehicle-to-building (V2B) settings between building operators, who face high energy costs from uncoordinated charging, and drivers, who prioritize convenience and a full charge. To resolve this, we propose a negotiation-based framework that, by design, guarantees voluntary participation, strategy-proofness, and budget feasibility. It transforms EV charging into a strategic resource by offering drivers a range of incentive-backed options for modest flexibility in their departure time or requested state of charge (SoC). Our framework is calibrated with user survey data and validated using real operational data from a commercial building and an EV manufacturer. Simulations show that our negotiation protocol creates a mutually beneficial outcome: lowering the building operator's costs by over 3.5\% compared to an optimized, non-negotiating smart charging policy, while simultaneously reducing user charging expenses by 22\% below the utility's retail energy rate. By aligning operator and EV user objectives, our framework provides a strategic bridge between energy and mobility systems, transforming EV charging from a source of operational friction into a platform for collaboration and shared savings.