Investigating the Utility of Water Cycle Optimization and Non-linear Programming Techniques in Electric Vehicle Stations Smart Planning

Transportation electrification shows enormous prospects regarding the global environmental pollution issue. However, the penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) is not massive in the global market. We attribute this to the long AC charging time and the limitations of the charging topologies at home. Accordingly, the need for a centralized electrical vehicle station (EVS) becomes a must to enlarge the contribution of the EVs industry market. Intelligent decision-making is essential in enhancing the EVS performance by optimizing the charging time and minimizing the queuing delay, especially during peak hours. In the current study, we propose an entire scenario for an EVS with a maximum of 14 EVs at peak hours. Multiple charging methodologies have been provided, including DC constant current constant voltage, DC multistage constant currents, AC 110/120 V, and AC 220/240 V. In addition, four various photovoltaic/grid integration scenarios have been introduced seeking the optimum EVS operation concerning; Levelized cost of energy, charging time and capacity. Finally, two charging schemes have been demonstrated, targeting a minimum total charging time and queuing delay, where the water cycle optimization technique has been enrolled in parallel with non-linear programming. A significant reduction in the total charging time, nearly 90%, has been reached concerning the overnight in-home AC charging time.