Optimum Network of Battery Storage to Support Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Smart Cities

Smart mobility and transportation is a critical component of smart cities. One barrier to the smart transportation is a lack of charging stations that can empower a huge amount of electric vehicles, especially autonomous ones. Battery storage technology provides a buffer to a charging station network; however, how battery storage can serve a crucial role in enabling fast-charging stations to fulfill customer demand and providing a profit for charging station operators is unclear. This paper reports a discrete event simulation model to determine the optimum network of battery storage system including the battery type, size, and exchange range, considering construction costs. A case study of Detroit Area in the State of Michigan is provided to demonstrate the usage of the model. Results show that a small number but big size of battery units is optimal. Findings suggest that a condensed network of charging stations benefits more through battery units connected to a microgrid network. The work provides a decision support for planners, designers, and engineers to design and build battery storage systems in smart cities.