A Cost-Efficient Communication Framework for Battery-Switch-Based Electric Vehicle Charging

Charging management for EVs on the move has become an increasingly important research problem in smart cities. Major technical challenges include the selection of charging stations to guide charging plans, and the design of cost-efficient communication infrastructure between the power grid and EVs. In this article, we first present a brief review on state-of-the-art EV charging management schemes. Next, by incorporating battery switch technology to enable fast charging service, a publish/subscribe communication framework is provisioned to support the EV charging service. After that, we develop a fully distributed charging management scheme with consideration of urban travel uncertainties, for example, traffic congestion and drivers' preferences. This would benefit from low privacy sensitivity, as EVs' status information will not be released through management. Results demonstrate a guidance for the provisioning of a P/S communication framework to improve EV drivers' experience, for example, charging waiting time and total trip duration. Also, the benefit of a P/S communication framework is reflected in terms of the communication efficiency. Open research issues in this emerging area are also presented.