Charging and Discharging Strategies of Electric Vehicles: A Survey

The literature covering Plug-in Electric Vehicles (EVs) contains many charging/discharging strategies. However, none of the review papers covers such strategies in a complete fashion where all patterns of EVs charging/discharging are identified. Filling a gap in the literature, we clearly and systematically classify such strategies. After providing a clear definition for each strategy, we provide a detailed comparison between them by categorizing differences as follows: complexity; economics and power losses on the grid side; ability to provide ancillary services for integrity of the power grid; operation aspects (e.g., charging timing); and detrimental impact on the EV, the power grid, or the environment. Each one of these comparison categories is subdivided into even more detailed aspects. After we compare the EV charging/discharging strategies, we further provide recommendations on which strategies are suitable for which applications. Then, we provide ratings for each strategy by weighting all aspects of comparison together. Our review helps authors or aggregators explore likely choices that might suit the specific needs of their systems or test beds.