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Demand & Supply Model

The e-mobility ecosystem follows a provider–consumer handshake. Each stakeholder BUFM defines both the quantity of service it can provide/consume and the price at which buy/sell transactions occur. This document captures the shared terminology and flow.

Provider–Consumer Roles

Provider Consumer Service Buy/Sell Language
Battery Asset (BF_) Rider / Vehicle Owner (VW_) Energy + swap availability (kWh/day) BF_ sells kWh at vw_elec_price; VW_ books matching expense
Swap Network (SN_) Battery Asset (BF_) Housing/charging capacity (bays, kWh/day) SN_ sells rack/energy services at sn_elec_price_to_bf; BF_ books bf_sn_service_rate
Power Generator (PG_) Swap Network (SN_) Grid power (kWh) PG_ sells wholesale energy at sn_pg_facility_rate; SN_ books cost

Each BUFM exposes:

  • Provided quantity: maximum kWh, swaps, bays, or monetary value delivered per day.
  • Consumed quantity: required input from upstream providers.
  • Unit price: buy/sell pair that keeps revenue and cost synchronized.

Demand–Supply Ratios

To keep BUFMs aligned, we track a population model:

  • Provider population: number of assets/stations/generators available.
  • Consumer population: number of riders, batteries, or stations demanding service.
  • Demand–Supply ratio: consumer_demand / provider_capacity. Ratios > 1 indicate shortages; ratios < 1 indicate idle capacity.

Workflow

  1. Quantify consumer demand – e.g., riders require dist_day km → elec_energy_day kWh.
  2. Translate to provider requirements – energy demand drives the number of batteries (bf_fleet_size) and swap bays (sn_total_bays).
  3. Check ratio thresholds – define acceptable ranges (e.g., 0.9–1.1) to decide if capacity matches demand.
  4. Adjust pricing or capacity – if providers are over-utilized, increase investment (more batteries/stations) or raise prices; if under-utilized, reduce CapEx or lower prices to attract demand.

Using This Model

  • Workbook Tabs: Each BUFM tab includes named ranges for both provided and consumed quantities. Use these ranges to build cross-tab formulas that compute demand–supply ratios.
  • Scenario Planning: Store population assumptions (number of riders, fleets, stations) in shared parameters so every BUFM references the same counts.
  • Documentation: When describing a model, explicitly state what it provides, what it consumes, and how the buy/sell relationship with upstream/downstream stakeholders is modeled.

This provider–consumer discipline keeps the ecosystem modular yet coupled: independent BUFMs stay accurate on their own, and the demand–supply layer ensures they interoperate without hidden assumptions.