Modeling the impact of vehicle-to-grid discharge technology on transport and power systems

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology enables electric vehicles (EVs) to discharge unused power to the power grid, allowing EVs to serve as flexible energy resources. Although this technology promises benefits to power systems, its impact on transport systems is unknown. We investigate the interaction between transport and power systems with V2G during co-existing peak periods. Commuters choosing to discharge earn rewards while encountering additional delay costs and altering departure time. A bottleneck model is used to characterize drivers’ departure time and discharge choices. Possible queue patterns and occurrence conditions are derived. Traffic congestion is proved to be reduced compared to the without V2G case when commuters choosing to discharge arrive at the bottleneck earlier than those choosing not to discharge. We also derive the sufficient condition of the “win–win–win” situation for EV drivers, power and transport systems and develop a decision tree for the power system to set the discharge reward optimally.