As electric vehicles become more common, cities are facing the new and increasingly complex task of managing when and where drivers plug in. Concordia researchers have developed a new tool that offers a clearer picture of how EV charging could affect urban power systems.
The model, called CityCharge, simulates how people drive and charge their vehicles across a city. It combines real-world travel data with a behavioural model that reflects how drivers make decisions, such as when their battery is low, where chargers are available and how electricity prices vary.
The result is a detailed, hour-by-hour view of electricity demand linked to EV use.
Uneven demand
Using Montreal as a case study, the researchers found that charging demand is unevenly distributed. Most drivers currently charge at home in the evening, creating a strong spike in electricity use after typical work hours. But even small behavioural changes can shift that pattern. For example, increasing workplace charging could raise morning demand by more than 70 per cent while easing pressure on the evening peak.
The study also shows that infrastructure choices matter. Faster Level Two chargers, now common in homes and workplaces, can significantly increase peak demand compared to slower chargers. At the same time, charging patterns vary across neighbourhoods. Denser urban areas experience demand surges in the mornings and evenings, reflecting charging activity at work and at home. By contrast, suburbs like Laval, Montreal's West Island and the towns on the North and South Shores experience only evening peaks, after commuters returned home.
Together, these findings highlight the importance of planning ahead as EV adoption grows. Tools like CityCharge can help utilities, municipalities and policymakers identify where the grid may be under pressure, decide where to install new charging stations and design incentives to encourage off-peak charging.
CItyCharge was created by Mohamed Osman, PhD 2024, and Mohamed Ouf, an associate professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science. The findings were published in the journal Energy.
This research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Nature et technologies (FRQNT), and partners including Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors and Mitacs.
Read the cited paper: "CityCharge: Advanced modeling of urban electric vehicle charging demand patterns"
