Electric vehicle charging on the go via unmanned aerial vehicle: Optimal charging policy

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular due to their eco-friendly characteristics, such as lower greenhouse gas emissions. However, the lack of sufficient EV charging infrastructure continues to cause range anxiety for drivers. To help address this, the study introduces a novel EV charging concept that uses an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to charge EVs on-the-go, supplementing current charging solutions. We begin by defining the “electric vehicle charging on the go” (EVCG) problem as a UAV routing problem aimed at minimising total costs while fulfilling stochastic EV charging needs. A dynamic programming equation is then developed to solve the EVCG problem, and the UAV’s optimal charging policy is derived. Finally, we propose future research directions for EVCG applications.