Optimal Location of Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles in a Neighborhood in Lisbon, Portugal

Growing concerns about environmental issues have led to the consideration of alternatives to current mobility. Electric mobility is one such alternative that is receiving a great deal of attention in Europe. In particular, a new legal framework for the introduction of an electric mobility system in Portugal has recently been set up by the government. A key issue in this system is recharging the batteries and, consequently, the location of charging stations. This paper presents a study on the location of electric-vehicle charging stations for an area of Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, characterized with a strong concentration of population and employment. This type of area is appropriate for slow charging because vehicles stay parked for several hours within a 24-h period. The methodology used here is based on a maximal covering model to optimize the demand covered within an acceptable level of service and to define the number and capacity of the stations to be installed. The results clearly indicate that this methodology can be useful in the future planning of electric mobility systems.