HELVES: A Python-based simulator to model circulation of electric vehicles on a highway

Due to the stable increase in electric mobility, it is important to assess the growing burden on the power system in general and on the existing charging stations, to plan future development and extension of the electric infrastructure. The simulator proposed in this paper is based on Python software and allows modeling of the flow of electric vehicles circulating on a highway. It allows to evaluate the impact of electric vehicles for different penetration level, allocation strategies, charging rates and capacities of the charging stations. The simulator is applied to a case study to illustrate the functionalities of the code and a range of Key Performance Indicators is proposed to illustrate charging times. Finally, it is demonstrated that the simulator outcomes can highlight crucial aspects from both the drivers’ and the charging station operators’ perspectives.