An Innovative Smart Charging Framework for Efficient Integration of Plug-In Electric Vehicles into the Grid

The massive, uncontrolled charging of numerous electric vehicles from the grid will create problems in the proper and reliable operation of the electricity networks. A very promising solution is the application of controlled and coordinated charging of electric vehicles, also known as smart charging. During smart charging, the charging time and rate of an electric vehicle are controlled. The development of an integrated smart charging solution meets significant technical challenges and requires the cooperation of numerous stakeholders. The electric vehicle aggregator is a new entity that can take over the central management of the smart charging of numerous electric vehicles and interact with the various stakeholders in an optimal way. This paper presents a prototype integrated tool for the management of smart charging by an electric vehicle aggregator in order to provide cost-effective charging to electric vehicle users while providing ancillary services to the system and network operators.