Methodology for the development of electrical vehicle charging infrastructure. Case study: Brescia

Abstract

The topic of electrical mobility, whether it refers to private or public transport, has taken on increasing importance in recent years, in part due to the issuing of national and international lows aiming at reducing the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. In fact, electric motors can increase road vehicle energy efficiency and contribute to the reduction of transport CO2 emissions (at a local level), leading to advantages in terms of improving air quality and reducing noise pollution in urban areas. Possible restraints on the uptake of electric vehicles may be the lack of charging infrastructures, insufficient local product positioning and the lack of standardisation on an international level.
In order to resolve this problem, several European Union member states have issued Charging Infrastructure implementation plans. Italy recently published its ‘National Infrastructure Plan for Charging Vehicles fed by Electricity’ (PNire – Official Journal no. 280 of 02/12/2014), which are defined as the guidelines for guaranteeing the united development of electric vehicle charging services in Italy. Arising from this plan is the need, on the part of municipal administrations, to come up with implementation plans for charging infrastructure to be included as part of the Urban Plans for Sustainable Mobility. Therefore, objectives are set to look into how careful, integrated urban and transport planning can lead to the effective and efficient distribution of charging infrastructures in Italy. To this end, a methodology has been formulated for the planning and localisation of electric vehicle charging infrastructures at a municipal level and it has been adjusted and validated in application to the city of Brescia, considered of interest due to it being representative of a medium-sized urban area. This methodology, which can be applied rapidly, envisages the selection of certain indicators, which form the basis, after the assignation of relative weights, for a map of charging demand. Comparison of the areas identified as “high demand” with the potential supply of charging infrastructures highlights the areas excluded from the possible infrastructure coverage area, thus allowing finely detailed analysis to be carried out only where strictly necessary, resulting in savings in terms of time and money.