Methodology design for quantitative analysis of the potential of electric vehicle utilization

This work proposes a methodology that is based on statistical analysis of real driving data from a sample of conventional vehicles to assess how well electric vehicles suit consumer needs in terms of range and availability. By tracking the driving patterns of real vehicles the energy use is calculated from a physical model, as if they were electric vehicles, and the state of charge of the battery is determined. The time series for the state of charge of individual vehicles are analyzed statistically to determine how well electric vehicles would suit actual driving patterns, how to implement effective improvements in infrastructure for battery charging, and strategic improvements in vehicle design. A preliminary study has been completed with real data from 368 vehicles with the main purpose of testing the methodology and the results verify its usefulness but also point out the need for further improvement.