Optimal Network Design of Battery-Powered Electric Feeder Bus with Determination of Fleet Size and Number of Chargers

Abstract

This paper investigates an optimization problem regarding feeder bus network design for metro stations, based on the wide use of battery-powered electric buses. To characterize the problem, a mixed integer programming model is formulated with the objective of minimizing the total cost of the electric feeder bus system, including the user and operator investment costs. The model considers the constraints of route length, bus stop coverage, vehicle capacity, and depot size. The solution incorporates a multiserver queuing submodel with limited system capacity to explore the relationship among the bus headway, the fleet size, and the number of depot-located chargers. Then a cost-optimized planning methodology is developed to solve these three variables for a given network. To solve the network optimization problem, a genetic algorithm that includes customized operators is developed to guide the solution evolution process. Synthetic case studies are conducted to test the model and the algorithm, and a sensitivity analysis on the important input parameters follows.