Driving Profile Optimization Using a Deep Q-Network to Enhance Electric Vehicle Battery Life

Abstract

In the COVID-19 era, automobiles with internal combustion engines are being replaced by eco-friendly vehicles. The demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) has increased explosively. Treatment of spent batteries has received much attention. Battery life can be extended via both efficient charging and driving. Consideration of the vehicles ahead when driving a BEV effectively prolongs battery life. Several studies have presented eco-friendly driving profiles for BEVs, the cited authors did not develop a BEV driving profile that considered battery life using reinforcement learning. Here, this paper presents a method of driving profile optimization that increases BEV battery life. This paper does not address how to regenerate spent batteries in an eco-friendly manner. The BEV driving profile is optimized employing a deep Q-network (a reinforcement learning method). This paper uses simulations to evaluate the effect of the driving profile on BEV battery life; these verified the applicability of our model. Finally, the speed profile optimization method was limited to improve energy efficiency or battery life in rapid speed change sections.