Optimizing electric vehicle charging station placement in Greek municipalities through multi-criteria decision analysis

The transition to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) necessitates the establishment of an effective charging infrastructure, especially in countries like Greece where BEV adoption has been slow. This paper presents a comprehensive multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework, utilising the PROMETHEE II method, to facilitate the optimal siting of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) in Greek municipalities. The framework considers a broad range of economic, environmental, social, and technological factors and is supported by a user-friendly, web-based application that enables stakeholders to assess potential EVCS locations by dynamically adjusting criteria weights in areas of their interest. The application is tested via a case study involving municipalities in Crete, identifying major cities, such as Heraklion, Chania, and Rethymno, as the optimal alternatives to the problem, with average rankings of 1.07, 2.89, and 3.68 respectively. Sensitivity analysis results confirm the stability and robustness of the proposed locations with ranking deviations generally limited to a range of one to three positions. Overall, the framework effectively distinguishes key factors influencing EVCS deployment and supports strategic infrastructure planning and investment decisions.