Robust eBuses Charging Location Problem

The implementation of a sustainable and efficient electric bus (eBus) transportation network requires addressing multiple concerns, such as limited driving range and battery charging/discharging time. Currently, eBuses can travel between 200 to 300 km on a single charge, and fast charging stations can fully recharge a battery in a matter of minutes. However, a failure in a charging station might negatively impact the operation of the system with unnecessary delays for the users. Taking this into account, we propose and implement a model for the Robust eBuses Charging Location problem that takes into account potential vulnerabilities of the transportation system. Our model incorporates a protection mechanism that allows eBuses to reach a backup charging station in case the regular one is down. We propose a MIP model to tackle this problem with minimal disruptions in the regular operation of the eBuses. Furthermore, we also present a Large Neighbourhood Search framework to efficiently tackle the problem. Our empirical evaluation suggests that our framework can operate a robust service with a small number of charging stations for three Irish cities and our Large Neighbourhood Search approach largely outperforms a popular commercial MIP solver.