EV2Gym: A Flexible V2G Simulator for EV Smart Charging Research and Benchmarking

• Published in: IEEE transactions on intelligent transportation systems 2024-12, p.1-12
• Main Authors: Orfanoudakis, Stavros, Diaz-Londono, Cesar, Yilmaz, Yunus Emre, Palensky, Peter, Vergara, Pedro P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Batteries; Benchmark testing; Data models; Electric vehicle optimization; gym environment; mathematical programming; model predictive control (MPC); Optimization; Power transformers; Prediction algorithms; Reinforcement learning; Schedules; Smart charging; Vehicle-to-grid
• ISSN: 1524-9050; 1558-0016
• DOI: 10.1109/TITS.2024.3510945

As electric vehicle (EV) numbers rise, concerns about the capacity of current charging and power grid infrastructure grow, necessitating the development of smart charging solutions. While many smart charging simulators have been developed in recent years, only a few support the development of Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms in the form of a Gym environment, and those that do usually lack depth in modeling Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) scenarios. To address the aforementioned issues, this paper introduces EV2Gym, a realistic simulator platform for the development and assessment of small and large-scale smart charging algorithms within a standardized platform. The proposed simulator is populated with comprehensive EV, charging station, power transformer, and EV behavior models validated using real data. EV2Gym has a highly customizable interface empowering users to choose from pre-designed case studies or craft their own customized scenarios to suit their specific requirements. Moreover, it incorporates a diverse array of RL, mathematical programming, and heuristic algorithms to speed up the development and benchmarking of new solutions. By offering a unified and standardized platform, EV2Gym aims to provide researchers and practitioners with a robust environment for advancing and assessing smart charging algorithms.