PHEV Home-Charging Model Based on Residential Activity Patterns

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have received an increased interest lately since they provide an opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Based on the PHEV introduction level in the car park, the charging behaviors in an area will induce changes in the load profiles of the power system. Hence, it becomes important to investigate what impact a given PHEV introduction level has on load profiles due to expected charging behavior of residents. This paper proposes a new model for generating PHEV home-charging patterns by combining PHEV usage with synthetic activity generation of residents' electricity-dependent activities. The synthetic activity data are simulated based on time-use data collected in time diaries, and define the basis for calculations of the PHEV home-charging behavior as well as the resident's electricity consumption. The proposed model is generic and can be used where similar residential time-use data are available. Based on the underlying activities, the model estimates the total load profile due to residential load as well as the variation in the load profile. The resulting load profiles can be used in load shaving studies in order to investigate what type of activities, PHEV usage or other, may be moved to hours with lower demand.