Utilizing Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques in the Selection of Electric Vehicles: An Analysis for the Turkish Electric Vehicle Market

Global warming and climate change are among the biggest problems of our time. The rapid depletion of fossil fuels and the harmful effects of internal combustion engines on the environment are increasing the interest in electric vehicles. These vehicles emit less carbon emissions than gasoline and diesel vehicles, reducing the emission of harmful gases such as greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The use of electric vehicles provides significant benefits for human health and environmental health. The sale of electric vehicles in Turkey is very important in terms of sustainability and economy. This study aims to help rank the alternatives by using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods in the selection of the 11 most preferred electric vehicles in Turkey. Various criteria such as DC fast charging time, power (kW), range, price, battery capacity, electricity consumption (kWh) and number of services were considered in the study. Following the criteria provided by the Method based on the Removal Effects of Criteria (MEREC) weighting method, four different decision-making methods such as Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE), Multi-Objective Optimization by Ratio Analysis (MOORA) and Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) were applied and the outcomes were combined with the COPELAND approach to obtain a final ranking. The findings show that the X5 vehicle received the highest score according to the COPELAND method and that this vehicle ranked high in other methods as well, and its overall performance was remarkable. The X11 and X4 vehicles stand out as the second and third best alternatives, respectively. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the most important criterion among the 7 criteria is “charging time” and the least important criterion is “electricity consumption”. The results obtained from the COPELAND method are presented in a clear and understandable way. With this feature, decision makers can easily understand the comparisons between alternatives. These results help consumers considering purchasing an electric vehicle to determine which vehicles are more suitable, while also providing useful information for professionals in the industry to make strategic decisions.