Charging Load and Flexibility Assessment of Electric Last-Mile Delivery Van Fleets based on Semi-Synthetic Mobility Profiles

Abstract:
Fleet electrification of last-mile delivery (LMD) plays a key role in achieving the European Union’s (EU) goal of climate neutrality. On-site charging of LMD electric van Fleets (eVFs) may pose new challenges and benefits at depot and grid levels, which are yet difficult to address due to the limited availability of real-world data. To address this problem, in this study a three-step simulation framework was developed consisting of a data-driven semi-synthetic mobility profile generator, a charging load model and a customized method for the quantification of the charging process flexibility. To demonstrate the developed framework, a small (30 vehicles) and a large-sized (150 vehicles) LMD fleets are simulated in a case study. Different aspects, such as the fleet’s energy demand, charging load patterns and the charging flexibility potential are evaluated. The results of the simulation show an average daily energy consumption of 367.1 kWh for the small and 1853.2 kWh for the large-sized fleet, as well as a homogenous charging load profile in both cases. It can be observed that uncontrolled charging can lead to high-power peaks of 262.9 kW and 1185.6 kW respectively. Furthermore, the charging flexibility analysis indicates that LMD eVFs offer great unidirectional and bidirectional charging flexibility. This work provides practical insights for fleet operators and grid planners on the charging power requirements and flexibility potential of LMD eVFs under real-world conditions.