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Impact of Flexible and Bidirectional Charging in Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks on California's Decarbonization Pathway

Osten Anderson, Wanshi Hong, Bin Wang, Nanpeng Yu

TL;DR

This study analyzes how flexible and bidirectional charging for medium- and heavy-duty BEVs can influence California's grid decarbonization. It develops a large-scale two-timescale MILP planning model that co-optimizes hourly unit commitment and multi-year investments, treating MHD BEVs as clustered, dispatchable demand. The results show potential multi-billion-dollar savings from V1G and V2G, offset by costs such as battery degradation and high charger hardware expenditures, with the latter posing a critical constraint on the business case. Policy-relevant insights highlight the need to plan charger deployment and manage battery aging to maximize the grid-wide benefits of fleet electrification.

Abstract

California has committed to ambitious decarbonization targets across multiple sectors, including decarbonizing the electrical grid by 2045. In addition, the medium- and heavy-duty truck fleets are expected to see rapid electrification over the next two decades. Considering these two pathways in tandem is critical for ensuring cost optimality and reliable power system operation. In particular, we examine the potential cost savings of electrical generation infrastructure by enabling flexible charging and bidirectional charging for these trucks. We also examine costs adjacent to enabling these services, such as charger upgrades and battery degradation. We deploy a large mixed-integer decarbonization planning model to quantify the costs associated with the electric generation decarbonization pathway. Example scenarios governing truck driving and charging behaviors are implemented to reveal the sensitivity of temporal driving patterns. Our experiments show that cost savings on the order of multiple billions of dollars are possible by enabling flexible and bidirectional charging in medium- and heavy-duty trucks in California.

Impact of Flexible and Bidirectional Charging in Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks on California's Decarbonization Pathway

TL;DR

This study analyzes how flexible and bidirectional charging for medium- and heavy-duty BEVs can influence California's grid decarbonization. It develops a large-scale two-timescale MILP planning model that co-optimizes hourly unit commitment and multi-year investments, treating MHD BEVs as clustered, dispatchable demand. The results show potential multi-billion-dollar savings from V1G and V2G, offset by costs such as battery degradation and high charger hardware expenditures, with the latter posing a critical constraint on the business case. Policy-relevant insights highlight the need to plan charger deployment and manage battery aging to maximize the grid-wide benefits of fleet electrification.

Abstract

California has committed to ambitious decarbonization targets across multiple sectors, including decarbonizing the electrical grid by 2045. In addition, the medium- and heavy-duty truck fleets are expected to see rapid electrification over the next two decades. Considering these two pathways in tandem is critical for ensuring cost optimality and reliable power system operation. In particular, we examine the potential cost savings of electrical generation infrastructure by enabling flexible charging and bidirectional charging for these trucks. We also examine costs adjacent to enabling these services, such as charger upgrades and battery degradation. We deploy a large mixed-integer decarbonization planning model to quantify the costs associated with the electric generation decarbonization pathway. Example scenarios governing truck driving and charging behaviors are implemented to reveal the sensitivity of temporal driving patterns. Our experiments show that cost savings on the order of multiple billions of dollars are possible by enabling flexible and bidirectional charging in medium- and heavy-duty trucks in California.
Paper Structure (16 sections, 26 equations, 5 figures, 4 tables)

This paper contains 16 sections, 26 equations, 5 figures, 4 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Technical Method
  3. Unit Commitment
  4. Generation Resources
  5. Zones and Lines
  6. Load and Reserve Requirements
  7. Unit Commitment Objective
  8. Decarbonization Planning
  9. Solution Methodology
  10. Numerical Study
  11. Specifications for MHD BEV
  12. Results
  13. Policy Implications
  14. Degradation
  15. Cost of Chargers
  16. ...and 1 more sections

Figures (5)

  • Figure 1: Comparison of drive start times between two scenarios.
  • Figure 2: Comparison of installed resources in 2045.
  • Figure 3: Scenario FD gross load considering fixed charging, V1G, and V2G.
  • Figure 4: Scenario FD net load for an exemplary day in 2035.
  • Figure 5: Scenario FD MHD BEV hourly load averaged over year 2035.