Optimal Dispatch of Connected and Autonomous Electric Vehicles to Enhance Short-Term Grid Flexibility in Smart Cities

Abstract

This paper proposes a coordinated energy-mobility dispatch framework for grid support service provision in smart cities under time constraints. In particular, a scenario in which a distributed system operator requests a specified amount of energy within a given deadline is considered. A fleet of connected autonomous electric vehicles equipped with virtual battery partitioning is dynamically dispatched toward vehicle-to-grid stations. The routing problem is formulated as a periodically updated resource-constrained shortest path, accounting for time and energy constraints with congestion-dependent travel times derived from a dynamic traffic model. At the vehicle level, a model predictive control strategy regulates speed to satisfy mobility energy requirements while ensuring deadline compliance. The framework is validated through simulations on the urban network of Rapallo (Italy), demonstrating robustness against congestion-induced delays.