Abstract:

The electric vehicle (EV) market has significantly expanded because EVs have lower operational costs while leaving less environmental footprint than internal combustion engine vehicles. However, EVs also come with drawbacks, including long charging times and short operational ranges. With these drawbacks and limited charging facilities, efficient long-distance EV evacuation management is challenging and has not been adequately addressed. Without an efficient evacuation plan, serious congestion could happen at charging facilities, the evacuation process would be excessively long, and thus human lives may be put at risk. This study is motivated to investigate the optimal mass evacuation planning for EVs considering limited charging facilities. A three-stage method is proposed to approach this problem efficiently. A case study of Florida hurricane evacuation is conducted. The method's effectiveness is verified by comparing it with a benchmark. Management insights and policy indications are drawn through sensitivity analysis of critical parameters.