Estimating charging infrastructure demand for electric vehicles: a systematic review

Establishing robust charging infrastructure is crucial for electric vehicle (EV) adoption. This study addresses the lack of systematic literature reviews examining the global charging infrastructure research landscape with a comprehensive review of English literature published between 2017 and 2023. We screened 12237 records, and analyzed 137 peer-reviewed and 31 grey literature studies. Findings reveal a mean and median public charging demand of 135 and 23 EVs/charger respectively - that is, a much more efficient utilization of chargers than the current public charging global average (10 EVs/charger). The differences are explained by aggregation of charging strategies - fast and super-fast charging can support 5 to 10 times as many vehicles per charger - but also a wide range of assumption used across studies, apparently deviating from actual deployment. We also identify a need for more forward-looking research given evolving technologies and policy ambitions. Further research is necessary for underrepresented regions like Africa and Latin America, and different vehicle types, such as heavy and light-duty commercial vehicles. Recommendations to the research community, policymakers, and practitioners include exploring complementary metrics beyond the widely used EVs/charger and addressing ambiguous charging definitions.