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Smart-meter load forecasting is essential for distribution-grid operation, flexibility scheduling, congestion management, and renewable integration. However, centralizing household-level smart-meter records can expose private behavioral patterns and reduce consumer trust. This article proposes a federated forecasting framework for accurate smart-meter load prediction across heterogeneous distribution feeders. The framework enables multiple feeders to collaboratively train forecasting models without transferring raw household consumption data. The proposed framework combines feeder-local temporal neural networks, federated aggregation, feeder-aware personalization, and optional differential privacy. It is validated through simulation on multi-feeder smart-meter datasets with different customer mixes, photovoltaic penetration levels, missing-data rates, and load variability. The framework achieves forecasting accuracy close to a centralized privacy-free benchmark while outperforming local-only and non-personalized federated baselines under strong feeder heterogeneity. Differential privacy introduces a controlled accuracy penalty that remains acceptable for day-ahead and intra-day feeder operation. The proposed federated forecasting framework provides a practical privacy-preserving solution for distribution system operators that need accurate load forecasts across diverse feeders. The results indicate that collaborative learning can preserve household privacy while improving feeder-level prediction accuracy.

Swift technological progress has heightened the importance of managing charging demand and refining travel routes for electric vehicle (EV) fleets, particularly in urban settings. Sensors based on IoT, embedded in charging stations and vehicles, supply live information about driver charging routines, road congestion, vehicle positioning, and surrounding conditions—greatly strengthening forecasting and optimization techniques. This continuous stream of IoT data powers the combined deep learning architecture, GNN-ViGNet, to predict upcoming EV charging requirements. An analysis of readings from 400,000 IoT devices distributed across charging points and EVs in Texas was performed to reveal typical charging behavior. These devices continuously log key indicators, including user charging preferences, current traffic levels, and diverse external conditions. Data refinement was achieved through Frequency-Aware Dynamic Range Scaling, together with sophisticated preprocessing techniques including Categorical Encoding. Ultimately, the GNN-ViGNet framework delivered a prediction accuracy of 98.9%. Beyond conventional metrics such as Root-Mean-Square Error (RMSE) and Mean Squared Error (MSE), the research introduced the Forecast Accuracy Rate (FAR) and the Charging Load Variation Index (CLVI) to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of predictive capability. The work introduces both an advanced forecasting system and a novel hybrid Coati–Northern Goshawk Optimization (Coati–NGO) technique designed for route planning. Real-time route modifications become possible thanks to live IoT feeds that include congestion updates, vehicle coordinates, and remaining battery capacity. The Coati–NGO algorithm combines the broad search strength of Coati Optimization (COA) with the refined exploitation strength of Northern Goshawk Optimization (NGO). Compared against Particle Swarm Optimization (919 km) and the Firefly Algorithm (914 km), it substantially reduced the total distance traveled to 511 km. Moreover, this combined method exhibited quicker convergence, consistently locating high-quality solutions by the 100th iteration. Overall, the presented EV fleet management system leverages continuous IoT inputs to improve charging network performance, reduce operating expenses, and enhance operational effectiveness—delivering an adaptable, realistic framework suitable for city-wide electric mobility.