# Balancing energy resilience and mobility: a multi-objective strategy for deploying shared autonomous electric vehicles during power outages

## TL;DR

This paper explores how shared autonomous electric vehicles can help maintain mobility and provide emergency power during power outages, highlighting key trade-offs and infrastructure needs.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel framework combining GIS and multi-objective optimization to assess SAEV performance during power disruptions.

## Key findings

- SAEVs can meet up to 2% of mobility demand or supply 28% of energy needs, but not both simultaneously.
- Improving charging infrastructure is more beneficial than increasing battery capacity for SAEV operations.
- Revenue from energy provision increases with larger fleets and higher charger power.

## Abstract

As cities face increasing climate-induced disruptions, shared autonomous electric vehicles (SAEVs) emerge as a dual-purpose solution to sustain passenger mobility and provide emergency power. This study introduces a framework that combines GIS-based spatial analysis and multi-objective optimization to evaluate SAEV fleet performance during power outages. Using Montreal as a testbed, we simulate the operations of a mid-sized SAEV fleet under varying power disruption scenarios. Our analysis reveals a critical operational trade-off: the fleet can meet up to 2% of daily mobility demand or supply 28% of energy needs in affected zones, but not simultaneously. The sensitivity analyses indicate that improving charging infrastructure yields greater operational benefits than increasing battery capacity. Further, revenue from energy provision increases significantly with larger fleets and higher charger power. The findings underscore the importance of coordinated infrastructure planning and incentive design to enable SAEVs to effectively support transport continuity and urban energy resilience.