Optimization of Electric Bus Charging: Integrating Discrete Event Modeling in Public Transportation Systems

The transition to electric transportation is gaining more and more importance in the last years leading to new challenges to be addressed. A key role in this framework is represented by public transportation systems. This paper introduces a Discrete Event (DE) optimization model to optimize the charging scheduling of electric buses (EBs). By accounting for time tabling constraints, energy demand satisfaction, and the capability for simultaneous multi-socket charging, our model addresses the complexities inherent in managing EB fleets. Utilizing a periodic model to capture cyclical system behavior, we incorporate a detailed battery model reflecting nonlinear charging profiles to enhance accuracy in power requirement prediction and charging duration estimation Validation of our model is performed using real-world data, demonstrating its practical applicability. Copyright (C) 2024 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)