Evaluation of Fast charging and Slow Charging and Battery Swapping Method with AHP

The charging stations of electric vehicles (EV) aim to provide convenience and efficiency in terms of recharging and it is now a vital concern for the daily use of electrical transportation. There are still many factors that influence the level of customer experience when charging vehicles. This paper analyzes the four main factors including time taken, electricity cost, the convenience of charging, and whether there are supporting or additional facilities nearby. The data obtained is analyzed and quantified by applying Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). During the process of AHP, pairwise matrices are used to compare the factors by assigning weightings to each factor. The eigenvector is used for the calculation of criteria weights, while the consistency test is carried out to check the accuracy of data. Then, the ranking of weightings of factors is created and applied to conclude the final optimum charging method. Evaluating the differences and characteristics of the electrical charging methods, including slow-charging, fast-charging, and battery swapping, with the ranking of the four factors, suggests that the slow-charging model is the most suitable technique for charging vehicles for general EV drivers. Eventually, a reasonable final judgment for the three types of charging methods is given with suggestions for the future research and development of electric vehicles and electrical facilities.