Simulating the household plug-in hybrid electric vehicle distribution and its electric distribution network impacts

► Presents agent-based framework for the spatial distribution of PHEV ownership. ► Looks at impacts of PHEV charging load on electric line congestion and transformer overload. ► Different residential areas generate different PHEV market penetration rates. ► PHEVs increase peak power demand and require upgrade of power distribution infrastructure. This paper presents a multi agent-based simulation framework for modeling spatial distribution of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle ownership at local residential level, discovering “plug-in hybrid electric vehicle hot zones” where ownership may quickly increase in the near future, and estimating the impacts of the increasing plug-in hybrid electric vehicle ownership on the local electric distribution network with different charging strategies. We use Knox County, Tennessee as a case study to highlight the simulation results of the agent-based simulation framework.