A comprehensive review on coordinated charging of electric vehicles in distribution networks

The active participation of electric vehicles (EVs) in both the transportation sector and energy systems is essential to curb the ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions. EV sales grow yearly in most countries, which calls for efficient charging infrastructure. The large-scale penetration of EV fleets in power distribution networks exhibits an increasingly visible effect on legacy power systems. Coordinated charging of EVs in existing power systems provides an alternate way to considerable investments in power infrastructure upgradation. Therefore, this paper discusses state-of-the-art coordinated charging methods, energy management systems, and ancillary services for EV charging infrastructure. A brief survey of the current policies promoting EVs and charging infrastructure adopted worldwide is also presented. This paper critically reviews charging station architectures, scheduling techniques, tariff structures, aggregator requirements, and infrastructure designs regarding communication and control systems. Moreover, various advanced technologies enabling the active participation of EVs in coordinated charging are also explored in this paper. Finally, the paper summarises the findings in existing literature. It also identifies the related research challenges, making the research fraternity capable of exploring unidentified solutions for the coordinated charging of EVs in distribution networks.