Multi-Objective Mixed Bus Fleet Charging Schedule Problem with Time-of-Use for Real-world Data-sets

As the effects of climate change are increasingly felt worldwide, the transition to Electric Buses (EB) presents an opportunity to decarbonize the transportation sector. Several issues exist that hinder the adoption of a green bus fleet. Such as the increased cost, reduced travel distances, and required recharge times, which may negatively impact service quality. This work proposes a Mixed Integer Programming model to solve a multi-objective mixed fleet charging schedule problem. The mixed fleet considers EBs and Internal Combustion Engine Buses (ICEBs) and minimizes daily costs, such as fuel price, the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) produced by the bus fleet, and the Value of Time (VoT) of public transport users. Non-linear charging is considered as well as alternative approaches along with Time of Use (TOU) constraints for electricity price and SCC. Empirical evaluation shows that significant savings can be made, with reductions of over 20000 in fuel costs, and reductions of over 100 tCO2eq per day. Consideration of VoT minimizes negative customer impact, limiting late arrivals to an average of 8.78 seconds per EB. The inclusion of non-linear charging makes minimal positive impact compared to limiting the total capacity of the battery, and while the inclusion of TOU constraints correlates to more savings, the amount saved is minute.