Fuzzy logic-based autonomous controller for electric vehicles charging under different conditions in residential distribution systems

Integrating a fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) in the distribution system without a communication infrastructure exhibits several issues that need to be handled by electric utilities. Robust autonomous controllers are crucial in this case to manage the charging operation without violating the grid standard limits. This paper proposes a communication-free autonomous charging controller for EVs in distribution systems. The controller is based on fuzzy logic considering both the system voltage profile and the EV's battery state of charge (SOC). The fuzzy inference system is designed to avoid under voltage issues in the grid, flatten the system loading profile and accomplish fair charging among different EVs connected to the system. An 18-bus distribution system driven by the proposed controller was implemented in a simulation environment. The proposed controller performance was investigated under different distribution system operating conditions such as different loading, different levels of EV penetration, system reconfiguration as well as with distributed generation. In all cases, the controller demonstrated faster and better charging performance without violating the standard voltage limits compared to other research reported in the literature.