A Novel Distributed System of e-Vehicle Charging Stations Based on Pumps as Turbine to Support Sustainable Micromobility

Recent statistics shows that CO2 emissions from road transport have been increasing. In addition, the paradigm of “more electric vehicles” does not seem to be positive from the environmental point of view. In fact, assuming the current energy mix system, studies focusing on Life Cycle Assessment and Well-To-Wheels analysis demonstrate that electric vehicles are less eco-friendly than traditional internal combustion-based engines. Then, it is mandatory to shift toward renewable energy sources to produce electricity with less CO2 emission. In this work, it is proposed to use a new e-vehicles charging system based on Pumps used as Turbine (PATs). This system uses the pressure in excess that could be available in a water distribution network (WDN). Such an excess of pressure is usually destroyed by pressure-reducing valves with the aim to reduce water leaks. PATs are also able to reduce water pressure and produce electrical energy that can be supplied to e-vehicles charging stations. Then, a bi-level methodology to design and optimize the e-charging stations system for (individual or shared) e-bikes and/or e-scooters is proposed. The method allows determining the optimal number of e-vehicles, charging stations docks, and PATs on the study area according to the WDN layout and hydraulic properties as well as the road network characteristics and demand of e-vehicles. The potential of the methodology is shown by an application to a real case study.