Routing Optimization for Large-Scale Inspection-Maintenance of EV Charging Spots With Multiple Types of Personnel and Composite Customer Satisfaction: A Multi-Stage Approach

Electric vehicle (EV) charging spots require frequent inspections to identify potential safety hazards, and charging piles in charging spots exhibit a significant failure rate, necessitating maintenance. The efficiency and quality of inspection-maintenance are crucial components in the operation and management of charging spots, directly affecting the operation cost, service level, and user experience. The inspection-maintenance of EV charging spots requires two different types of personnel, and the impact on customer satisfaction cannot be ignored. In addition, the large-scale charging spots have further increased the difficulty of routing. A novel routing optimization problem for large-scale inspection-maintenance of EV charging spots is proposed in this paper, considering multiple types of personnel and composite customer satisfaction. While inspections can be carried out by general personnel, maintenance requires professional engineers. Composite customer satisfaction is with respect to the waiting time for maintenance of faulty charging spots and the duration of absence of professional engineers in the working station. A bi-objective routing optimization model is proposed, minimizing the cost of arranging personnel and traveling between charging spots, and the loss of composite customer satisfaction simultaneously. Due to the large scale of the problem caused by the enormous number of charging spots, an effective multi-stage solution approach is proposed. Finally, numerical experiments, managerial insights, and a case study are provided. The purpose of this research is to help the operators to decide the routes for inspection-maintenance of EV charging spots and offer valuable guidance in balancing operational efficiency with customer satisfaction.