Simulation for electric vehicle charging
Electrification of the vehicle fleet can be a challenging matter. This makes it all the more important to plan ahead in order to successfully implement the charging infrastructure for the electric fleet.
A simulation can be a valuable aid for fleet management to get an initial estimate of the expected costs: How do I plan the power supply? How many and which charging stations do I need? How many and which e-vehicles are recommended? What processes will I have to deal with?
In this article, we explain how simulation software can be used to master the challenges of fleet electrification.
There are a number of things to consider when planning an electric vehicle fleet. In particular, the building infrastructure and power supply of the site as well as the type of fleet operation are among the key issues that complicate the planning of the charging infrastructure.
To ensure that charging stations are optimally installed for operation, a good, reliable power supply is essential. The building's grid infrastructure must be able to provide power for the future charging of multiple electric vehicles at the site, in addition to the current power consumption.
Often, the site's grid connection is not sufficient for the electric vehicle fleet to operate reliably on power, even with heavy usage, and as a result needs to be upgraded – this can be an expensive and time-consuming undertaking.
It is advisable to analyze the charging processes for the e-vehicles. With intelligent load management, electricity peaks and thus high monthly electricity costs can be avoided.
The type and number of charging stations needed depends on the type of vehicle operation – for example, it may be pure fleet vehicles, pool vehicles, management vehicles, or even mixed vehicles (fleet, pool, and management vehicles). Should employees also be allowed to charge their private vehicles on the company premises?
If you can simulate different deployment scenarios, it is easier to make more valid decisions about how many and which charging points to install.
With the simulation of our charging and energy management software IO-ELON, the operation of the electric fleet can be carried out virtually. Real data from the existing charging infrastructure or assumed data from a future charging infrastructure are used to stage charging operations at the site. Parameters are specified, such as location, vehicle usage, charging stations, network constraints, etc. In this way, the IO-ELON simulation helps to realistically determine how the site can potentially be used.
The same algorithms are used in the simulation as in our existing charging and energy management, so the simulation results are very accurate and resemble an actual implementation.
This makes the IO-ELON simulation suitable not only for those planning future charging infrastructure, but also for those looking to expand their current electric vehicle fleet.
Before the charging infrastructure is installed, it must be planned in advance. The following points must be considered in the planning phase and can be analyzed with the help of the IO-ELON simulation.
If the charging location is carefully planned with a simulation tool and operated with intelligent charging and energy management, costly grid connection expansions can be avoided, and it can be ensured that electric fleet operations run smoothly and efficiently.
Time-consuming and labor-intensive Excel spreadsheets are a thing of the past. The IO-ELON simulation tool provides a reliable and accurate impression of the charging infrastructure to be installed, also taking complex requirements into account.
Different charging plan parameters can be set for the charging processes, such as meeting deadlines, avoiding peaks, charging fast or slow, etc.
The simulation analyzes to ensure on-time departures and high utilization of e-vehicles, giving fleet operators and site users the assurance of efficient fleet operations.
Planning the charging infrastructure with simulation software saves time and money, as changes can be made with just a few clicks. In this context, different scenarios can also be run through and results compared in a short period of time.
IO-ELON simulation enables realistic modeling of electric fleet operations, so that fleet operations can be virtually performed and planned even before electrification. It allows specific parameters and scenarios to be set that are optimally adaptable to individual site requirements.
Interested? Click here to contact us. Likewise, you have the possibility to request a free demo version to get to know our charging and energy management better.
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