IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v18y2025i8p1943-d1632159.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Electric Vehicles Empowering the Construction of Green Sustainable Transportation Networks in Chinese Cities: Dynamic Evolution, Frontier Trends, and Construction Pathways

Author

Listed:
  • Dacan Li

    (Institute of Social Governance, Hebei University of Economics and Business, Shijiazhuang 050061, China)

  • Albert D. Lau

    (Urban Development Research Center, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China)

  • Yuanyuan Gong

    (School of Public Administration, Hebei University of Economics and Business, Shijiazhuang 050061, China)

Abstract

As the global ecological environment faces serious challenges and extreme climate change threatens the survival of humankind, the promotion of green development has become the focus for all countries in the world. As one of the world’s major greenhouse gas emitters, China has put forward the “twin goals” of achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality and is committed to promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of its cities. As the core of economic and social development, cities are the main source of carbon emissions. In response to the dual challenges of carbon emission control and traffic growth, it is particularly important to promote the development of green transportation. With the acceleration of urbanization, urban traffic pollution is becoming more and more serious. As a zero-emission transportation mode, electric vehicles have become a key way to achieve the carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets. In order to deeply analyze the research status of electric vehicles in the field of the green and low-carbon transformation of urban transportation in China and to explore the research hot spots, evolution trends, and their roles and strategies in the construction of green transportation networks, this paper uses the CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Tableau analysis tools to review and analyze the 2460 articles and reviews in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOS) and 2650 articles and reviews in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), including the “publication volume and publication trend”, “subject citation path”, “countries cooperation and geographical distribution”, “author cooperation and institution cooperation”, “keyword co-occurrence and keywords clusters”, and the “evolution trend of research hot spots in timeline”. The results show that: (1) Since 2010, the research focus on electric vehicles has gradually increased, and especially in the past three years, the number of such publications has increased significantly. (2) China holds the lead in research output regarding electric vehicles and related fields, but its international cooperation needs to be strengthened. (3) In recent years, the research has focused on “energy transformation”, “energy-saving technology”, “carbon emissions”, “battery recycling”, and other relevant topics. The promotion and development of electric vehicles will continue to usher in new opportunities concerning technological innovation, policy support, and market expansion. Finally, based on the research hot spots and evolution trends of electric vehicles in the field of urban green transportation and low-carbon transportation in China, this paper discusses the key paths and strategies for electric vehicles to promote the transformation of urban transportation in China to green and low-carbon types and looks forward to future research directions. The research in this paper can provide theoretical support and practical guidance for China to promote electric vehicles, build low-carbon cities, and realize green transportation. It is expected to act as a useful reference for relevant policy formulation and academic research.

Suggested Citation

  • Dacan Li & Albert D. Lau & Yuanyuan Gong, 2025. "Electric Vehicles Empowering the Construction of Green Sustainable Transportation Networks in Chinese Cities: Dynamic Evolution, Frontier Trends, and Construction Pathways," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-45, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:8:p:1943-:d:1632159
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/8/1943/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/8/1943/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Egbue, Ona & Long, Suzanna, 2012. "Barriers to widespread adoption of electric vehicles: An analysis of consumer attitudes and perceptions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 717-729.
    2. Chaomei Chen, 2006. "CiteSpace II: Detecting and visualizing emerging trends and transient patterns in scientific literature," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 57(3), pages 359-377, February.
    3. Lund, Henrik & Kempton, Willett, 2008. "Integration of renewable energy into the transport and electricity sectors through V2G," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 3578-3587, September.
    4. Nickolay I. Shchurov & Sergey I. Dedov & Boris V. Malozyomov & Alexander A. Shtang & Nikita V. Martyushev & Roman V. Klyuev & Sergey N. Andriashin, 2021. "Degradation of Lithium-Ion Batteries in an Electric Transport Complex," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-33, December.
    5. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    6. Zou, Pengyu & Zhang, Bin & Yi, Yi & Wang, Zhaohua, 2024. "How does travel satisfaction affect preference for shared electric vehicles? An empirical study using large-scale monitoring data and online text mining," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 59-71.
    7. Gavin Harper & Roberto Sommerville & Emma Kendrick & Laura Driscoll & Peter Slater & Rustam Stolkin & Allan Walton & Paul Christensen & Oliver Heidrich & Simon Lambert & Andrew Abbott & Karl Ryder & L, 2019. "Recycling lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles," Nature, Nature, vol. 575(7781), pages 75-86, November.
    8. Björn Nykvist & Måns Nilsson, 2015. "Rapidly falling costs of battery packs for electric vehicles," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(4), pages 329-332, April.
    9. Huan Yu & Qi Yang, 2024. "Evaluation of the Development Level of Green Transportation in National Central Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-3, August.
    10. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Kester, Johannes & Noel, Lance & de Rubens, Gerardo Zarazua, 2019. "Income, political affiliation, urbanism and geography in stated preferences for electric vehicles (EVs) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies in Northern Europe," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 214-229.
    11. Nees Jan Eck & Ludo Waltman, 2010. "Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 84(2), pages 523-538, August.
    12. Wang, Shanyong & Wang, Jing & Li, Jun & Wang, Jinpeng & Liang, Liang, 2018. "Policy implications for promoting the adoption of electric vehicles: Do consumer’s knowledge, perceived risk and financial incentive policy matter?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 58-69.
    13. Guo, Sen & Zhao, Huiru, 2015. "Optimal site selection of electric vehicle charging station by using fuzzy TOPSIS based on sustainability perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 390-402.
    14. Helveston, John Paul & Liu, Yimin & Feit, Elea McDonnell & Fuchs, Erica & Klampfl, Erica & Michalek, Jeremy J., 2015. "Will subsidies drive electric vehicle adoption? Measuring consumer preferences in the U.S. and China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 96-112.
    15. Offer, G.J. & Howey, D. & Contestabile, M. & Clague, R. & Brandon, N.P., 2010. "Comparative analysis of battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles in a future sustainable road transport system," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 24-29, January.
    16. Sierzchula, William & Bakker, Sjoerd & Maat, Kees & van Wee, Bert, 2014. "The influence of financial incentives and other socio-economic factors on electric vehicle adoption," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 183-194.
    17. Benjamin K. Sovacool & Mari Martiskainen & Andrew Hook & Lucy Baker, 2019. "Decarbonization and its discontents: a critical energy justice perspective on four low-carbon transitions," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 155(4), pages 581-619, August.
    18. Yuchao Cai & Jie Zhang & Quan Gu & Chenlu Wang, 2024. "An Analytical Framework for Assessing Equity of Access to Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: The Case of Shanghai," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-38, July.
    19. Biresselioglu, Mehmet Efe & Demirbag Kaplan, Melike & Yilmaz, Barbara Katharina, 2018. "Electric mobility in Europe: A comprehensive review of motivators and barriers in decision making processes," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 1-13.
    20. Ren, Zhijun & Li, Huajie & Yan, Wenyi & Lv, Weiguang & Zhang, Guangming & Lv, Longyi & Sun, Li & Sun, Zhi & Gao, Wenfang, 2023. "Comprehensive evaluation on production and recycling of lithium-ion batteries: A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Goel, Pooja & Kumar, Aalok & Parayitam, Satyanarayana & Luthra, Sunil, 2023. "Understanding transport users' preferences for adopting electric vehicle based mobility for sustainable city: A moderated moderated-mediation model," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    2. Nykvist, Björn & Sprei, Frances & Nilsson, Måns, 2019. "Assessing the progress toward lower priced long range battery electric vehicles," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 144-155.
    3. Jaiswal, Deepak & Kaushal, Vikrant & Kant, Rishi & Kumar Singh, Pankaj, 2021. "Consumer adoption intention for electric vehicles: Insights and evidence from Indian sustainable transportation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    4. Elena Higueras-Castillo & Sebastian Molinillo & J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak & Francisco Liébana-Cabanillas, 2020. "Potential Early Adopters of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in Spain—Towards a Customer Profile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, May.
    5. Peng, Ruoqing & Tang, Justin Hayse Chiwing G. & Yang, Xiong & Meng, Meng & Zhang, Jie & Zhuge, Chengxiang, 2024. "Investigating the factors influencing the electric vehicle market share: A comparative study of the European Union and United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 355(C).
    6. Debnath, Ramit & Bardhan, Ronita & Reiner, David M. & Miller, J.R., 2021. "Political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental dimensions of electric vehicle adoption in the United States: A social-media interaction analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    7. Nilsson, Måns & Nykvist, Björn, 2016. "Governing the electric vehicle transition – Near term interventions to support a green energy economy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 1360-1371.
    8. Shanmugavel, Nagarajan & Balakrishnan, Janarthanan, 2023. "Influence of pro-environmental behaviour towards behavioural intention of electric vehicles," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    9. Brückmann, Gracia, 2022. "The effects of policies providing information and trialling on the knowledge about and the intention to adopt new energy technologies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    10. Brückmann, Gracia, 2022. "Test-drives & information might not boost actual battery electric vehicle uptake?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 204-218.
    11. Shen, Liyin & Chen, Ziwei & Dou, Xin & Xu, Xiangrui & Cao, Zeyu & Liao, Shiju, 2024. "Restricting factors for promoting electric vehicles: Evidence from China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 234-245.
    12. Lin, Rui & Wang, Peggy, 2022. "Intention to perform eco-driving and acceptance of eco-driving system," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 444-459.
    13. Haider Ali Abbasi & Satirenjit Kaur Johl & Zullina Bt Hussain Shaari & Wajiha Moughal & Muhammad Mazhar & Muhammad Ali Musarat & Waqas Rafiq & Asaad Salam Farooqi & Alexey Borovkov, 2021. "Consumer Motivation by Using Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology towards Electric Vehicles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-22, November.
    14. Eunsung Kim & Eunnyeong Heo, 2019. "Key Drivers behind the Adoption of Electric Vehicle in Korea: An Analysis of the Revealed Preferences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-15, December.
    15. Tuğba Yeğin & Muhammad Ikram, 2022. "Analysis of Consumers’ Electric Vehicle Purchase Intentions: An Expansion of the Theory of Planned Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-27, September.
    16. Iogansen, Xiatian & Wang, Kailai & Bunch, David & Matson, Grant & Circella, Giovanni, 2023. "Deciphering the factors associated with adoption of alternative fuel vehicles in California: An investigation of latent attitudes, socio-demographics, and neighborhood effects," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    17. Ming Tang & Huchang Liao & Zhengjun Wan & Enrique Herrera-Viedma & Marc A. Rosen, 2018. "Ten Years of Sustainability (2009 to 2018): A Bibliometric Overview," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-21, May.
    18. Cohen, Jed & Azarova, Valeriya & Kollmann, Andrea & Reichl, Johannes, 2019. "Q-complementarity in household adoption of photovoltaics and electricity-intensive goods: The case of electric vehicles," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 567-577.
    19. Irfan Ullah & Muhammad Safdar & Jianfeng Zheng & Alessandro Severino & Arshad Jamal, 2023. "Employing Bibliometric Analysis to Identify the Current State of the Art and Future Prospects of Electric Vehicles," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-24, February.
    20. Makena Coffman & Paul Bernstein & Sherilyn Wee, 2017. "Electric vehicles revisited: a review of factors that affect adoption," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(1), pages 79-93, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:8:p:1943-:d:1632159. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.