A study on the establishment of a refueling facility location model for alternative-fuel vehicles

• Main Authors: Chuah-Chih Lin, 林全志
• Other Authors: Ying-Wei Wang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/94846077785710383482

碩士 === 國立澎湖科技大學 === 服務業經營管理研究所 === 95 === Both the earth warming problem and energy crisis accelerate the developed nations to step into the development and promotion of alternative fuel (alt-fuel) vehicles. At the present stage, alt-fuel vehicles have the limit of cruising range and, therefore, a lot of refueling facilities at convenient locations should be established to satisfy the refueling demands for extending their driving distance. It costs a large amount of money to establish these infrastructures. Therefore, how to economically and effectively build the alt-fuel refueling facilities to enforce the environment for the use of alt-fuel vehicles becomes consequently one of the most important issues. Owing to this much newer location-allocation problem, the traditional facility location model treated it as a location/distance problem from the fixed demanding point to service facility and assumed that the demand would be covered by the service facilities based on the shortest or acceptable traveling distance. In practical situation, vehicles usually fulfill their refueling demands en route. The research employs the “flow” concept to deal this problem, i.e. using OD (original-destination) flow to represent the refueling demands of alt-fuel vehicles. By considering the limiting factor, e.g. cruising range, the facility location model for alt-fuel vehicles is developed using the mathematical programming method. The objective of the model is to minimize the locating cost of the alt-fuel refueling facilities for fulfilling the refueling demand of alt-fuel vehicles to achieve their travel. To validate the proposed models, two empirical studies including Penghu and Taiwan Islands for the alt-fuel refueling facility planning were undertaken. The results of the empirical studies show that the models are suitable for locating the refueling stations. The models also can efficiently solve the optimal locations of the refueling stations. The results of sensitivity analysis show the increase of cruising range for alt-fuel vehicles is helpful to diminish the number of refueling facilities located, however, the amount of diminishing gradually decreases as the raise of cruising range increasingly. The results of this study can be referenced by the planner and decision maker for the planning of alt-fuel refueling facility and the promotion of the alt-fuel vehicles in Taiwan.