Using Mobile Charging Drones to Mitigate Battery Disruptions of Electric Vehicles on Highways

Our research explores innovative solutions to address the challenge of battery disruptions in electric vehicles (EVs) on highways. We propose a centralized fleet ownership model where a company manages a fleet of Mobile Charging Drones (MCDs) guided by a k-VRP (Vehicle Routing Problem) framework. This model is designed to tackle a multi-objective optimization issue with three primary goals: reduction of the overall operating costs, decrease in the cumulative waiting time, and minimization of the combined operating costs and waiting times. This approach extends beyond the usual VRP constraints, encompassing specific limitations for both MCDs and disrupted EVs (DEVs). Additionally, our study delves into the concept of decentralized fleet ownership through the lens of crowdsourcing. Preliminary numerical analyses indicate that the capital cost of MCDs is a significant factor on the charging service, and the system performance is sensitive to DEV owner's value of time (VOT) when VOTs are relatively low.