Vulnerability assessment of electric vehicles and their charging station network during evacuations

Electric vehicle (EV) drivers face range anxiety and long recharging times and navigate sparse public charging networks, which challenge both preemptive and short-notice evacuations. We propose a multi-criteria vulnerability assessment of the coupled EV driver and charging station network during evacuations. We study flooding evacuations in Chicago, IL and hurricane evacuations in Southeast Florida, FL. The sensitivity analysis is conducted to examine the effects of initial battery state of charge (SOC), reduced battery efficiency under adverse weather, EV penetration rates, and home charging accessibility. Our findings show the impact of vehicle and infrastructure-related (charging network, driving range and vehicle heterogeneity) and evacuation-related (network properties, hazard intensity, and warning system type) characteristics to evacuation feasibility and performance. Most EV drivers can evacuate with or without charging during mild and moderate hazards, even with the expected decrease in charging station accessibility and network disruptions. During rare and severe hazards, those with short-range EVs face a higher risk of getting stranded without enough power and reduced charging infrastructure access. The initial SOC of the EV battery determines drivers’ capability to initiate an evacuation.