Energy-Optimal Speed Trajectories Between Stops

This paper presents energy-optimal speed trajectories between stops for electric vehicles. It is shown that if basic infrastructure and traffic flow information is available, energy savings of up to 60% are possible, with 20-40% being typical values. The optimization approach uses a cost function that contains only transportation energy and uses all other conditions (such as maximum acceleration, average speed, etc.) as constraints. Real-world considerations such as following distance to the next vehicle and jerk constraints are also analyzed. The overall impact of this approach includes the reduction of energy cost, grid power demand, power plant emissions, global warming, as well as an increase in the range of electric vehicles.