Prospect of establishing electric vehicle charging stations at public hotspots

ABSTRACT

Electric vehicles (EVs) emerged as a promising technology to cater sustainable transportation. The inadequacy of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) leads to diminishing EV customer delight. Public hotspots have recognized as the best locations to establish EVCSs if feasible. Hence, this research focuses on the prospect of establishing public hotspot-based EVCSs in Sri Lanka. A literature review was conducted to explore the factors to be considered for the establishment under six feasibility aspects. The mixed approach was used, including a questionnaire survey with EV users and interviews with stakeholders representing public authorities, charging equipment suppliers, owners of dedicated EVCSs, and managerial personnel of public hotspots-based EVCSs. Content analysis was involved to evaluate stakeholders’ opinions and relative importance index was involved to rank identified public hotspots. Economic feasibility was supported by cost–benefit analysis, while carbon footprint calculation was conducted to analyse the environmental feasibility. The results revealed hotels as the most suitable public hotspot. Zoos were identified as the least suitable public hotspots. The economic feasibility revealed a value of more than one in benefit–cost ratio and positive net present value. Moreover, the other feasibility aspects confirmed public hotspots-based EVCSs as a feasible initiative in Sri Lanka.

KEYWORDS:

• Electric vehicle
• electric vehicle charging station
• public hotspot
• feasibility
• user preference

Notes on contributors

R.M.D.I.M. Rathnayake is a visiting lecturer and a research scholar of Department of Building Economics, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. She follows MSc by Research in Project Management and earned BSc (Hons) in Facilities Management from University of Moratuwa in 2019. She has completed Intermediate in Applied Banking & Finance, the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka (IBSL). She is an Associate Member of Institute of Facilities Management. Her research interests are sustainability in construction, energy management, operation management, and disaster management.

T.S. Jayawickrama is an online course facilitator of University of South Australia and she was a former senior lecturer of Department of Building Economics, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. She earned BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. She was awarded the research scholarship from the University of Singapore and earned her PhD from University of Singapore in sustainable construction. Her research interests are environmental sustainability in construction, environmental rating systems for construction, economic aspects of applying eco-friendly strategies to buildings and infrastructure and application of project management strategies to construction sites.

D.G. Melagoda is a PhD student of Department of Real Estate and Construction, University of Hong Kong and she was a former lecturer of Department of Building Economics, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. She earned BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, in 2017. Further, she has completed Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting, Chartered Institute of Management of Accountants (CIMA), United Kingdom, in 2015. She is a Graduate member of Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka (IQSSL). Her research interests are sustainability in construction, disaster management, project appraisal for construction, Building Information Modelling (BIM), and construction law and dispute resolution.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.