Adoption of electric vehicle: A literature review and prospects for sustainability

The increasing demand for higher-energy-density batteries driven by advancements in electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and portable electronic devices necessitates the development of alternative anode materials with a specific capacity beyond that of traditional graphite anodes. Here, the state-of-the-art developments made in the rational design of Si-based electrodes and their progression toward practical application are presented. First, a comprehensive overview of fundamental electrochemistry and selected critical challenges is given, including their large volume expansion, unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) growth, low initial Coulombic efficiency, low areal capacity, and safety issues. Second, the principles of potential solutions including nanoarchitectured construction, surface/interface engineering, novel binder and electrolyte design, and designing the whole electrode for stability are discussed in detail. Third, applications for Si-based anodes beyond LIBs are highlighted, specifically noting their promise in configurations of Li-S batteries and all-solid-state batteries. Fourth, the electrochemical reaction process, structural evolution, and degradation mechanisms are systematically investigated by advanced in situ and operando characterizations. Finally, the future trends and perspectives with an emphasis on commercialization of Si-based electrodes are provided. Si-based anode materials will be key in helping keep up with the demands for higher energy density in the coming decades.

Recent Advances in Silicon-Based Electrodes: From Fundamental Research toward Practical Applications

The deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) may mitigate major issues such as environmental pollution and dependence on oil. However, the current market penetration of EV is still at the nascent stage despite many governments employing dynamic advertising policies. This paper empirically investigates the factors influencing a consumer’s intention to adopt an EV. A total of 211 peer-reviewed research articles published between 2009 and 2019 covering the main categories consumer intentions – adoption intention, purchase intention, behavioural intention, and usage intention, – were selected. This study categorises influential factors, into four main types, namely demographic, situational, contextual, and psychological. A comprehensive overview of the theoretical perspectives was also developed to understand adoption behaviour and a consumer’s intentions towards EVs. The findings provide the most common research methodology employed for testing, analysing and comparing the relations among EV factors. A simple meta-analysis shows that the trend of studies on the influencing factors for adopting EVs has increased significantly over the past decade. Finally, this review study has managerial implications and shows future directions for EV researchers and practitioners that may help governments and the automobile industry to increase the usage share of EVs.

A review and simple meta-analysis of factors influencing adoption of electric vehicles

Urban air mobility (UAM), if successful, will disrupt urban transportation. UAM is not the first disruptive technology in transportation, with recent examples including electric ground vehicles (EVs), autonomous ground vehicles (AVs), and sharing services. In this paper, we conduct a meta-analysis of about 800 articles in the UAM, EV, and AV areas that have been published from January 2015 to June 2020, and compare and contrast research thrusts in order to inform future UAM research. Alongside this effort, we conduct an in-depth review of articles related to demand modeling, operations, and integration with existing infrastructure. We use insights from the meta-analysis and comprehensive review to inform future UAM research directions. Some of the potential research directions we identify include: (1) developing more refined demand models that incorporate the timing of when individuals will adopt UAM; (2) developing high-fidelity simulation models for UAM operations that capture interactions among vertiport locations, vertiport topology, demand, pricing, dispatching, and airspace restrictions; (3) explicitly considering one-way demand and parking constraints in demand and operational models; and (4) developing more realistic time-of-day energy profiles for UAM vehicles in order to assess whether the current electrical grid can support UAM operations.

Urban air mobility: A comprehensive review and comparative analysis with autonomous and electric ground transportation for informing future research

Due to the ever-increasing harmful emissions affecting natural life and health seriously, it is inevitable the usage of renewable energy sources instead of fossil resources in the near future. Another drawback of fossil fuels is several threats like environmental pollution and global warming, which are potential risks for future generations. Given that the transportation sector makes a huge contribution to carbon emissions, the importance of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which are an eco-friendly form of vehicles is obvious. Because the BEV market has been rapidly expanding recently, it has become a significant issue to assess BEV alternatives comprehensively from the customer's point of view. This assessment can be made by addressing the basic features of each BEV. Further, multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques are efficient instruments for the right BEV purchase decision. In this work, therefore, ten BEVs are chosen as alternatives. These vehicles are then ranked using SECA, MARCOS, MAIRCA, COCOSO, ARAS, and COPRAS multi-criteria techniques on the basis of technical specifications, such as acceleration, price, battery, range, and so on. Afterward, results from various MCDM techniques are aggregated by applying the Borda count and Copeland ranking methodologies. “Price”, “permitted load,” and “energy consumption” are determined as the most three significant factors for BEV selection, respectively, whereas Tesla Model S is highlighted as the best choice. Further, the robustness and reliability of the results are performed by applying a sensitivity analysis. The proposed framework can be utilized as a basis for more detailed purchasing decisions.

A consolidated MCDM framework for performance assessment of battery electric vehicles based on ranking strategies

European Union’s (EU) long-term objective of achieving a competitive low carbon economy is mainly based on enabling environmentally sustainable investments, particularly in terms of decreasing energy consumption in buildings, transition to electric vehicles, and developing smart electricity networks, while promoting renewable energy use in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 80% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. Since, transport is one of the main sector responsible for EU’s emissions; diffusion of Electric Vehicles (EVs) could allow immense reduction. Therefore, since the announcement of 2050 Roadmap in 2009, there has been a great increase in studies exploring the viability of transition to e-mobility in a Europe-wide context, identifying common factors and variables. However, it is usually not that straightforward when decision makers seek to transform these variables into policy implications that will actually help to achieve the EU goals on energy transition. At this point, the motivators and barriers are of utmost importance. Accordingly, this study is based on an extensive and up-to-date review of the existing literature on e-mobility in Europe, with the main aim of identifying and mapping the motivators and barriers for the diffusion of electric mobility through three levels of decision-making: Formal Social Units, Collective Decision-Making Units, and Individual Units. Results of the analysis identifies that the main barriers are lack of charging infrastructure; economic restrictions and cost concerns; technical and operational restrictions; lack of trust; information and knowledge; limited supply of electricity and raw materials; and practicability concerns. Thus, key motivators appear to be environmental, economic and technical benefits associated with EVs, as well as personal and demographic factors.

Barbara Katharina Yilmaz

Papers

Electric mobility in Europe: A comprehensive review of motivators and barriers in decision making processes