Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: Charging load profile extraction based on transportation data

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology is one of the most promising solutions for reducing petroleum consumption. A PHEV can be recharged through a plug connected to the electric power grid. Therefore, PHEVs increase the load of the electric power grid. Consequently, there are concerns about their negative impact on power generation, transmission, and distribution installations. PHEV charging load profile (PCLP) is an approach to examine the aggregated impact of PHEVs on the power grid; however developing a PCLP requires some basic data which is not easily available. This paper focuses on the information required for generating a PCLP and proposes answers to three key questions i) when does each vehicle begin to be charged, ii) how much energy is required to charge it, and iii) what level of charge is available. The data obtained from transportation surveys, as sources for the information on vehicles and trips characteristics, are used in this work to extract applicable information which leads to the development of a PCLP.