Selection of the Most Appropriate Vehicles with the Aim of Decarbonising the Transportation Sector Using AHP

Abstract Global warming and air pollution have affected the human and animal ecosystem, and a large part of these destructive effects are related to the transportation system. By replacing sustainable vehicles, combustion engines that cause climate change can be eliminated. This study compares five sustainable technologies, namely solar powered vehicles, biofuel vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), electric vehicles (EVs), and hybrid vehicles (HEVs) using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). All criteria and sub-criteria were weighted to determine the best option according to the existing alternatives. According to the results, the solar vehicles had the minimum emission of greenhouse gases in the exhaust outlet, but the disadvantage was challenging problems in the infrastructure. Solar vehicles are dependent on weather conditions which can be encountered with difficulties in terms of distance. Hereupon, before implementing the plan, it is necessary to evaluate the study area. It is recommended to integrate hybrid support systems to overcome the problem. In the view point of criteria, the technical criterion is the most important, and among the sub-criteria, infrastructure and social understanding are the most and least effective sub-criteria, respectively. Solar vehicles require minimal infrastructure. Biofuel vehicles were preferable in terms of distance compared to others. In terms of possible risks, electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles were the least and most dangerous, respectively. As a conclusion, solar powered vehicles were preferred among the proposed options and considered the best alternative to combustion engine vehicles. The only problem was that the process of making panels and storage batteries leads to the emission of greenhouse gases.