Sharing Mechanism Design for EV Charging Operation, Inspection and Maintenance

Abstract

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) over the past decade has posed a great challenge to EV charging, which is considered as a major barrier of EV promotion. To solve the EV charging problems, a massive construction of EV charging piles (CPs) is observed worldwide in recent years. During CPs’ operational period, regular inspections and maintenances (IM) are scheduled to guarantee the desired functionality of CPs when charging service is needed. However, the relation between CPs’ IM and their operational use (service quantities and service price) is sparsely reported and the effective ways to facilitate the EV charging operation, inspection and maintenance are left unexplored in current literature. On this ground, this study aims to bridge the above research gaps from the following aspects:  First, we previously considered a CPs’ IM service sharing scheme, where the platform business mode is adopted for the CPs’ operation, inspection and maintenance. Specifically, we investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of the platform business mode and then analyze the impacts of various factors on stakeholders’ behaviors. Second, we are currently considering the use of joint incentive mechanism to facilitate the EV charging operation, inspection and maintenance process. Two types of incentive sharing mechanisms are investigated. One is the revenue sharing mechanism among IM service providers, platforms and EVCS operators; the other is governments’ subsidy sharing mechanism between the EVCS operators and EV users. We specifically focus on how such two incentive sharing mechanisms influence each other. Third, we plan to consider that the reliability of CPs is determined by the IM plan, based on which a further investigation into the relation between CPs’ operational use and their IM plans will be carried out. Fourth, we plan to study the feasibility of crowdfunding business mode in EV charging operation, inspection and maintenance.