On the movement simulations of electric vehicles: A behavioral model-based approach

Electric vehicles (EVs) are deemed to be a solution for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, the market share has increased exponentially in recent years. Despite their distinct vehicle dynamics and characteristics, movement simulation models dedicated to EVs are yet to be developed. In this research, a micro traffic flow model for EVs by considering their unique acceleration/deceleration characteristics is proposed to represent and simulate the movements of EVs in traffic flow, especially in congested traffic. Car-following pairs where second car is an EV were collected from Longpan mid road, Nanjing, China in March 2019 for model calibration and verification. The results show that the proposed EV behavior model outperforms traditional behavior models for both timid and aggressive drivers. In assessing the predictive power of the movement simulation models, we compare their performance for collected car-following pairs. The R-squared values indicate that the performance of the EV behavior model is similar to that of the asymmetric behavior model under free-flow conditions, but substantially better for congested scenarios. With this model, we can better understand and reproduce the trajectories and energy consumption of EVs in complex traffic flow scenarios, and especially in congested traffic.