Researchers at CU Boulder’s Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering have delved into the question of whether people would be willing to wait longer for a ride-share car if they knew the driver was using an electric vehicle (EV) powered by 100% green energy. Their paper, submitted to Scientific Reports and available on the arXiv preprint server, examines this issue in the context of global efforts to decarbonize transportation services.
Elisabetta Perotti, a postdoctoral researcher and the paper’s first author, explained that the study considers a scenario where a fleet of electric vehicles must handle both customer ride requests and charging requests from a utility company during periods of high renewable energy generation. The researchers propose incentives to encourage EV charging during these times, aiming to minimize operating costs while balancing service quality and public acceptance.
In addition to reducing costs, aligning charging schedules with renewable energy availability can prevent adverse impacts on the power grid resulting from uncontrolled charging of the fleet.
Elisabetta Perotti is participating in this research as part of her Schmidt Science Fellowship. This prestigious program connects postdoctoral researchers to a different discipline, such as engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, or computing, diverging from their existing area of expertise. Perotti’s background in theoretical physics and mathematics, acquired during her Ph.D. at Uppsala University in Sweden, has led her to focus on practical challenges in the field of renewable energy through the fellowship.