A Review of Support Tools for User-Centric Electric Vehicle Charging Management Based on Artificial Intelligence and Multi-Agent System Approaches

Due to the environmental impacts of greenhouse gas emissions from traditional combustion vehicles, governments worldwide are encouraging the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). However, as EV use increases, user-related charging challenges have become evident. To identify possible solutions to improve EV charging management from a user-centered perspective, a state-of-the-art study was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Optimization systems and artificial intelligence (AI) methods applied to decision-making were compared and a growing trend towards the implementation of artificial intelligence in current applications was identified. This study investigates in more depth the application of AI in multi-agent systems for energy management in EV charging. It provides a critical review of charging stations, focusing on aggregator-based models that operate within a multi-agent system in smart grids. This analysis adopts the vehicle owner’s perspective and considers the charging duration of the EV as a parameter. This article identifies significant gaps in how existing research addresses individual electric vehicle users, noting a lack of consideration for energy management and system connectivity to support EV recharging locations. This work presents solutions to these gaps by using aggregators and multi-agent systems to represent charging stations, facilitate user access, and improve energy management.