Distributed control based on the consensus algorithm for the efficient charging of electric vehicles

The massive connection of charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) is supposed to bring significant challenges to modern power systems in a near future. In this sense, the development of efficient control and management strategies capable of handling the random arrivals and departures of EVs is a must for ensuring the safe operation of power networks. Given the above, this work proposes a distributed control approach for managing the charging process of EVs while aiming at minimizing the resulting power losses. The strategy relies on defining the number of EVs connected to a charging station in a parking lot based on the battery state of charge (SOC) and the length of stay. For this purpose, a consensus-based algorithm that does only require in-formation changed between neighboring EVs in a distributed approach is adopted. Three case studies comprising distinct amounts of EVs are assessed in detail, also considering that distributed control has low computational burden and communication requirements compared with centralized and decentralized architectures. The results demonstrate that the algorithm is capable of providing the coordinated charging of EVs, while also allowing more EVs to be easily incorporated into the analysis.