EVLearn: extending the cityLearn framework with electric vehicle simulation

Abstract

Intelligent energy management strategies, such as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Grid-to-Vehicle (V1G) emerge as a potential solution to the Electric Vehicles’ (EVs) integration into the energy grid. These strategies promise enhanced grid resilience and economic benefits for both vehicle owners and grid operators. Despite the announced perspective, the adoption of these strategies is still hindered by an array of operational problems. Key among these is the lack of a simulation platform that allows to validate and refine V2G and V1G strategies. Including the development, training, and testing in the context of Energy Communities (ECs) incorporating multiple flexible energy assets. Addressing this gap, first we introduce the EVLearn, an open-source extension for the existing CityLearn simulation framework. EVLearn provides both V2G and V1G energy management simulation capabilities into the study of broader energy management strategies of CityLearn by modeling EVs, their charging infrastructure and associated energy flexibility dynamics. Results validated the extension of CityLearn, where the impact of these strategies is highlighted through a comparative simulation scenario.