Optimal deployment of wireless charging lanes considering their adverse effect on road capacity

With the development of wireless charging technology, charging-while-driving now becomes possible. In this paper we propose a model to optimize the location of the wireless charging lanes (WCL) by taking into account their effects on road capacity and traveler's route choice. The model is formulated as a nonlinear programming problem and solved by a linearization method. A new method is developed to reduce the maximum error in the linearization process. The model and solution method are tested on Nguyen-Dupuis and Sioux Falls networks. The numerical results show that relatively high charging power and reasonable budget are necessary to recover the investment when charging lanes are deployed on road network. It is also demonstrated that the impacts of WCL on road capacity drop and travelers’ route choice are not negligible, and should be considered in the determination of WCL location.