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Increasing electric vehicles infrastructure in urban areas for efficiently employing renewable energy

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Abstract

This paper analyzes whether introducing more electric vehicle infrastructures, such as charging stations, in urban areas will increase the number of electric vehicles used and use more renewable energy in the transportation sector. The study involves case studies from the USA, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Germany, and China. A total of 250 participants, 50 from electric vehicles in the country, were identified to participate in the chat and Gmail interviews. The results indicated that establishing electric vehicles infrastructure in urban areas can increase the adoption of renewable energy in the transport sector by reducing congestion, attracting more users, part of the government’s plans, ensuring convenience, taking advantage of the low electricity rates, and reducing range anxiety by the drivers. Therefore, countries should be advised to increase the number of electric vehicle infrastructures in urban areas to improve their use of renewable energy in the transportation industry. Policymakers and urban planners can acquire ideas for improving the outlook of the areas from this study. However, the research was limited due to the small sample size. Further research should focus on the right strategies for including more infrastructure in the urban locations.

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Abbreviations

FHWA:

Federal Highway Administration

CMAQ:

Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement

E-vehicles:

Electric vehicle

A.C. current:

Alternate current

D.C. current:

Direct current

EV:

Electric vehicle

RCI:

Renewable energy-based charging infrastructure

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Acknowledgements

I am thankful to everyone who ensured the success of this study. Specifically, I am thankful to the 250 respondents who undertook the interviews and answered to the best of their knowledge. The participants were essential in providing truthful answers that were useful in this study.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urban and Regional Planning, College of Architecture and Planning, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, 31451, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

    Khalid Mohammed Almatar

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Appendices

Appendix 1

These were the interview questions that were asked to the participants. The questions were the same for all the participants and were open-ended. The beginning of the question is an introduction to the interviews.

(Hello, thanks for agreeing to be part of this interview. We are conducting these interviews to inform policy change in the transportation sector by identifying the changes that can be made to challenges experienced in the transportation sector. Your response will be highly valued. Please take your time and answer the questions to your best knowledge.)

  1. 1.

    What is your name, and are you aware of the importance of participating in this interview?

  2. 2.

    Do you live in places with electric vehicles? If yes, how do you rate their importance to the surroundings?

  3. 3.

    What are the challenges with charging your electric vehicles if you have or know someone with one?

  4. 4.

    Have you ever been in a situation where you fear that you will not reach your destination with the charge in your car?

  5. 5.

    How do you think situations such as those named in 4 above can be solved?

  6. 6.

    Can you describe some of the benefits of electric vehicles infrastructure in urban areas on using and adopting cars?

  7. 7.

    What can you recommend to improve electric vehicles’ infrastructure in urban areas in your country?

Appendix 2

The South African government is concerned with connecting more homes to the electricity grid. Information from different sources indicates that more than 70% of South African households are connected to electricity (Davidson & Mwakasonda, 2004). Despite this significant number, the government is still planning to have 300,000 more homes connected to electricity (Davidson & Mwakasonda, 2004). During this program, there has been a significant decrease in the electricity connection cost. Fifty percent of the population in the rural is yet to be connected to electricity in the country. It shows that there is a broader connection to populations in urban South Africa than in rural areas. It notes the importance of the electrification program in South Africa.

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Almatar, K.M. Increasing electric vehicles infrastructure in urban areas for efficiently employing renewable energy. Environ Dev Sustain (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03723-x

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