Electric Vehicle Charging: It is not as simple as charging a smartphone (Vision Paper)

While the electric vehicle (EV) industry is facing some challenges concerning its refueling, its rapid growth in popularity is increasing these difficulties. In this paper, we demonstrate the gravity of the problems that EVs may experience for charging, both now and in the near future, and show how establishing new charging stations can be challenging. We also present the challenges in optimizing the use of charging stations by EV users. Then, we envisage opportunities for the rise of alternative charging options, such as distributed generation, crowdsourced, wireless and mobile charging stations. Additionally, we explain directions on how route and charging stations' location planning can cater to optimizing the charging infrastructure.