Publication: Identification of Spatial Energy Demand Shift Flexibilities of EV Charging on Regional Level through Agent-Based Simulation
22.01.2026Our paper titled “Identification of Spatial Energy Demand Shift Flexibilities of EV Charging at the Regional Level through Agent-Based Simulation,” which was presented by our colleague Paul Benz at the Winter Simulation Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington, offers insights into the flexibilities of electric vehicle charging for optimization use cases.
Abstract:
Open access to electric vehicle charging session data is limited to a small selection provided by operators of mostly public or workplace chargers. This restriction poses a hurdle in research on regional energy demand shift flexibilities enabled by smart charging, since usage characteristics between different charging options remain hidden. In this paper, we present an agent-based simulation model with parameterizable availability and usage preferences of public and private charging infrastructure to access insights of charging behavior otherwise only visible through proprietary data. Thus, we enable utility operators to estimate spatial charging energy distribution and support the integration of renewable energy by showing potentials for smart charging. In a first application, we point out how increased access and use of private charging facilities can lead to additional energy demand in rural municipalities, which, in turn, leads to a lower grid load in urban centers.
Authors: Paul Benz, Marco Pruckner
