Modeling and Analysis of Wireless “Charge While Driving” Operations for Fully Electric Vehicles☆

Abstract This study presents a method for analysing the traffic and electric performance of wireless Charge While Driving (CWD) systems for two types of electric vehicle: a light-van for freight distribution and a city car. After performing a preliminary design of the CWD system, a simplified traffic simulation, including an energy assessment for vehicles, is presented to test the design settings, such as the travelling speed on CWD and the percentage of equipped lanes. The speed range explored refers to quite low values because the design layout of the EVSE should be a compromise between the need to minimize the installation and maintenance costs and users’ acceptance of the time required to obtain a proper recharge. The choice of the traffic modelling approach derives from the specific requirements of the CWD system defined in the eCo-FEV project, which may be assumed as having been installed along a low speed lane of a motorway. The simplified traffic model simulates the vehicles time series along the road, introducing their energy needs as an influencing factor of drivers’ behaviour. The simulated scenarios involve electric light-vans travelling along a 5-km highway that have the opportunity to charge in motion if their State of Charge (SOC) is under an established threshold.