Analyzing the Impact of EV Charging Infrastructure on Power Demand in Urban Areas

• Author(s): Ahmad Abdulla Abdulrahim Alameli
• Paper ID: 1708457
• Page: 757-770
• Published Date: 14-05-2025
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 8 Issue 11 May-2025

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs) is transforming urban landscapes, bringing in profound implications for extant power infrastructure and urban planning measures. While forecasting models from a technical standpoint have provided an insight into changes in power availability requirements, there is a great responsibility for a qualitative approach in perceiving and understanding stakeholder experience with the relationship evolving between EV charging infrastructure and the urban power systems. In this paper, interviews, field observations, and document analyses are proposed as the strategies for data collection, naturalistic inquiry, which had allowed the study to define the perception, strategies, and future anticipations of key actors. The key actors defined in the research included city planners, energy utility managers, location developers of EV infrastructure, and the residents-at-large who belong to these areas in the process of becoming rapidly electrified. These activities resulted in a rich tapestry of varying perceptions on the opportunities and challenges resulting from the growth of EV charging networks. Some key issues widely discussed by focus group participants were unbalanced spatial distribution of chargers, plugging grid saturation during peak loads in the evenings, regulatory uncertainties, and social acceptability of huge infrastructural transformations. During the course of this study, such themes as local adaptive practices included local initiatives on microgrids, dynamic load management, and partnership initiatives strengthening the synergy between the energy and transport sectors were identified. Four major themes emerged from the thematic analysis: urban infrastructure resilience, governance breakdown, socio-spatial equity, and future idealizations of urban mobility. The study highlights that impacts of EV charging infrastructure on demand are hardly technical, but deeply social, political, and spatial. A greater understanding and solution to such challenges necessitate having participatory governance models, forewarning policy frameworks, and public-centric planning methods. By putting stakeholder narratives and lived experiences into focus, this study may to some extent provide a human-centered critical understanding of the subject matter of sustainable urban electrification and also bring forth some practical pathways that can be taken by cities to integrate and harmonize EVs towards a more equitable and resilient destination for energy futures.

Keywords

EV demand forecasting, power grid readiness, urban load profiles, peak electricity shifts, charging infrastructure, Dubai smart grid, Abu Dhabi energy use, GCC urban electrification, smart meter insights, sustainable mobility, qualitative energy research, infrastructure planning

Citations

IRE Journals:
Ahmad Abdulla Abdulrahim Alameli "Analyzing the Impact of EV Charging Infrastructure on Power Demand in Urban Areas" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 8 Issue 11 2025 Page 757-770

IEEE:
Ahmad Abdulla Abdulrahim Alameli "Analyzing the Impact of EV Charging Infrastructure on Power Demand in Urban Areas" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 8(11)