IDENTIFYING OPTIMUM LOCATIONS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS USING GIS

Abstract

The population and economy of India are increasing rapidly, leading to a corresponding increase in the number of vehicles. This rapid expansion has also resulted in a significant rise in pollution. As conventional vehicles run on fossil fuels, they generate high emissions, whereas electric vehicles emit less. As electric vehicles emit fewer pollutants, people are shifting rapidly towards electric vehicles. Thus, there is a need to develop charging infrastructure to support the increase of electric vehicles in the country. This thesis aims to identify the optimum locations for Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS), primarily to reduce the travel distance between users and charging stations. The parameters that could affect the sites of the EVCSs were identified from the literature and the experts. These parameters are given weights that are to be calculated by the Spatial Analytical Hierarchy Process (SAHP) method by collecting pairwise comparison data from the experts. This research uses Geographic Information System (GIS) for spatial and network analysis. The weighted parameters are further used in the spatial analysis and the secondary data collected to generate a suitability map for EVCS. The research gives output as potential locations for EVCS, identified using the network analysis on the suitability map.