Electric vehicle-based ad-hoc networking for large-scale disasters design principles and prototype development

This paper describes a network that was constructed in the disaster area of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The practical experience gained from the endeavor made us aware that for the provision of a serviceable emergency network of this kind in a disaster area, a significant decrease in network construction time is needed. In this paper, we summarize the benefits of using electric vehicles (EVs) in the context of near-future disaster recovery efforts. In particular, we determine the benefits of using EVs in vehicular networking. Unlike gasoline-powered conventional vehicles, an EV has a large-capacity battery that can be used to power communication nodes. Multiple stationary EVs, widely distributed in a disaster area, can be connected through wireless systems to form an emergency network. Each EV can be equipped with a communication station whose antenna is positioned as high as 9 m above its body with the help of an elastic pole. We present experimental results that show that an antenna at this height can extend the transmission range significantly, by taking advantage of a greater probability of line-of-sight radio propagation and a decrease in radio wave reflection from the ground. Finally, we present a prototype of an EV with functionalities that can be of tremendous utility in disaster recovery operations.