Optimal vehicle fleet mix planning in a distribution utility using fuzzy multi-criteria decision making

Abstract

Electric power distribution utilities are using different types of vehicles, depending on their purpose, terrain properties, adopted typical scheme of utility organization and of current fluctuation on a vehicle market as well. Vehicle fleet planning is a generic and broad class of practical decision making problems, including the optimal fleet mix problem. Fleet mix planning involves the determination of a combination of vehicles that is expected to maximally fulfil the fleet's mission objectives subject to constraints on the acquisition, deployment and operation of the fleet. However, to determine the optimal mix is a difficult task having in mind several criteria that one must meet simultaneously. For that reason, in this paper a multi-criteria fuzzy decision making technique is proposed for the determination of an optimal number of two types of vehicles. Optimization is carried out for several part of one distribution utility, with very different properties, and compared with two other multi-criteria decision methods. Thanks to its flexible approach, the fair and balanced distribution of vehicles among utility's parts is made possible.