Receding Horizon Control for Wireless Charging Networks

With the proliferation of electric vehicles in use expected to increase in the near future, a wireless charging network provides a feasible option, under certain scenarios, to allow vehicles with a route objective to achieve transition of the route while maintaining approximate net zero energy balance. In this type of network, a collection of embedded (in-ground) wireless chargers are placed along a route roadway. As vehicles with wireless charging capability drive over these chargers, an energy transfer occurs. In this way, the vehicle on-board battery storage can maintain a sufficient charge level to complete the desired route. We propose a Model Predictive Control (MPC) (1) derived suboptimal strategy for wireless charging (through the floor pan) capable electric vehicles. This strategy can be adopted in real-time given certain information is available to the vehicle system under control. A number of scenarios are explored and simulation results are provided demonstrating the utility of the method within a range of light to heavy follow-the-leader (FtL) type traffic models.