An Online Pricing Mechanism for Electric Vehicle Parking Assignment and Charge Scheduling

Abstract: In this paper, we design a pricing framework for online electric vehicle (EV) parking assignment and charge scheduling. Here, users with electric vehicles want to park and charge at electric-vehicle-supply-equipment (EVSEs) at different locations and arrive/depart throughout the day. The goal is to assign and schedule users to the available EVSEs while maximizing user utility and minimizing operational costs. Our formulation can accommodate multiple locations, limited resources, operational costs, as well as variable arrival patterns. With this formulation, the parking facility management can optimize for behind-the-meter solar integration and reduce costs due to procuring electricity from the grid. We use an online pricing mechanism to approximate the EVSE reservation problem's solution and we analyze the performance compared to the offline solution. Our numerical simulation validates the performance of the EVSE reservation system in a downtown area with multiple parking locations equipped with EVSEs.