On the effects of signal design in electric vehicle charging using vehicle-originating-signals

We study alternative signal designs for electric vehicle (EV) charging control based on vehicle-originating-signals (VOS). In the original VOS approach, the need-for-charge signal is proportional to a ratio between required and available charging times which results in a convex signal. We therefore consider alternative signal designs with different concavity and convexity and compare the results in terms of objective adherence and individual EV benefits. For the evaluation, we compare the original and alternative designs for the VOS approach on a load leveling scenario based on electricity demand, solar generation and car mobility data from Munich, Germany. Results show that significantly concave and extremely convex signals have a negative effect on both the error and the EVs, while linear and adaptively convex signals enable vehicles to achieve higher battery levels at earlier stages of the parking period with no significant effect on the error.