On the interaction between Autonomous Mobility-on-Demand systems and the power network: models and coordination algorithms

We study the interaction between a fleet of electric, self-driving vehicles servicing on-demand transportation requests (referred to as Autonomous Mobility-on-Demand, or AMoD, system) and the electric power network. We propose a joint linear model that captures the coupling between the two systems stemming from the vehicles’ charging requirements. The model subsumes existing network flow models for AMoD systems and linear models for the power network, and it captures time-varying customer demand and power generation costs, road congestion, and power transmission and distribution constraints. We then leverage the linear model to jointly optimize the operation of both systems. We propose an algorithmic procedure to losslessly reduce the problem size by bundling customer requests, allowing it to be efficiently solved by state-of-the-art linear programming solvers. Finally, we study the implementation of a hypothetical electric-powered AMoD system in Dallas-Fort Worth, and its impact on the Texas power network. We show that coordination between the AMoD system and the power network can reduce the price of electricity paid by the AMoD system operator by 8.8% compared to an uncoordinated scenario. Despite the increased power demand, exploiting the electric vehicles as mobile storage units in coordination with the power network operator also reduces the unit price of electricity by 1.2% for all power network customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area compared to the case where no electric vehicles are present. Collectively, the results of this paper provide a first-of-a-kind characterization of the interaction between electric-powered AMoD systems and the electric power network, and shed additional light on the economic and societal value of AMoD.