Impact of Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaics on Urban Electric Vehicle Charging Demand and Public Charging Infrastructure Planning

Abstract

This study assesses how vehicle integrated photovoltaics (VIPV) affect urban electric vehicle (EV) charging demand and public charging infrastructure planning. It combines an activity-based MATSim model of cost aware and adaptive charging behavior with a separate mixed-integer optimization model for planning public chargers, stationary photovoltaics, and battery storage. A case study for Gothenburg, Sweden compares a baseline without VIPV to a scenario in which 50% of EVs have onboard solar generation. VIPV reduces annual grid electricity demand by about 6.0% and total charging demand by about 5–6%, with the largest effects during high-solar periods. The optimization results imply an average annual reduction in public charging expenditure of about 1,300 SEK per VIPV. VIPV therefore lowers grid dependence and user charging costs, while highlighting trade-offs between decentralized energy provision and charging-network revenues.