A review of electric vehicle hosting capacity quantification and improvement techniques for distribution networks

Abstract

The electrification of the transport sector to control the carbon footprint has been gaining momentum over the last decade with electric vehicles (EVs) seen as the replacement for conventional internal combustion engines. Economic incentives, subsidies, and tax exemptions are also paving the way for rising EV penetration in the power distribution networks. However, the exponential EV adoption requires careful technical and regulatory analysis of traditional networks to satisfy the network reliability constraints. Therefore, it would be vital to find EV hosting capacity (HC) limits of networks from a multifaceted approach involving various market players, mainly distribution system operators and EV owners. This review provides a systematic categorization of EV hosting capacity evaluation and improvement methods, thus enabling researchers and industry personnel to navigate the advancing landscape of EVs. This novel framework extends beyond the theoretical implication of diverse objective functions and HC improvement methods to the actual numerical values of EV HC across varying geographical settings. Therefore, this unique synthesis of varying aspects of EV HC facilitates the in-depth understanding of the integration of sustainable energy and transport sector.