Strategic Placement and Sizing of Electric Minibus Taxi Charging Stations in Stellenbosch

The global rise of electric vehicle use highlights the need for effective planning of charging infrastructure placement. This study aims to optimize the placement and sizing of electric vehicle charging stations for the future deployment of electric minibus taxis in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Spatiotemporal data from internal combustion engine minibus taxis is used to identify mobility patterns, with stopping points filtered and clustered based on their popularity and location. Three clustering methods are explored and the most suitable method is selected to identify power demand across a typical day. The power demand is calculated by simulating a typical weekday of driving. A Monte Carlo simulation is implemented to estimate the number of vehicles charging at a station simultaneously. Electric vehicle charging stations are positioned at cluster centroids with the required number of Photovoltaic panels and battery capacities to meet the power demand.