Sustainable electric personal mobility: The design of a wireless charging infrastructure for urban tourism

Abstract

Though new technologies have been applied in all industries, electric mobility technology using eco-friendly energy is drawing a great deal of attention. This research focuses on a personal electric mobility system for urban tourism. Some tourism sites such as Gyeongju, Korea, have broad spaces for tourists to walk around, but the public transportation system has been insufficiently developed due to economic reasons. Therefore, personal mobility technology such as electric scooters can be regarded as efficient alternatives. For the operation of electric scooters, a charging infrastructure is necessary. Generally, scooters can be charged via wires, but this research suggests an advanced electric personal mobility system based on wireless electric charging technology that can accommodate user convenience. A mathematical model-based optimization was adopted to derive an efficient design for a wireless charging infrastructure while minimizing total investment costs. By considering the type of tourists and their tour features, optimal locations and lengths of the static and dynamic wireless charging infrastructure are derived. By referring to this research, urban tourism can handle transportation issues from a sustainable point of view. Moreover, urban tourism will have a better chance of attracting tourists by conserving heritage sites and by facilitating outdoor activities with electric personal mobility.