Sustainable planning for cities: Weaving e-infrastructure for green transportation in current city profile of Bhubaneswar, India

Abstract

Growing CO₂ emissions in the environment have significantly contributed to global warming. With the average global temperature increase from carbon concentration in the air, recording almost 1.5^oC (IPCC, 2023), governments across regions must shift to using electric vehicles (EVs) in the transportation sector. By 2050, greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles are expected to have reduced by 50%, according to the research (NRDC India, 2022). By 2030, Bhubaneswar, already designated as a “Smart City,” is envisioned as a green transportation hub in eastern India. This development highlights how the city adopts a holistic and inclusive approach to developing EV infrastructure through accessible and sustainable transportation. The demand for ownership of e-vehicles in Bhubaneswar has also increased substantially. The growth is hindered due to a lack of EV infrastructure, including charging stations, and a compromised distribution. The background of the study revolves around the fact that despite existing government policies at the national and state levels, there needs to be more methodology for providing e-vehicle charging infrastructure on the ground. Digitized geospatial analysis has been recommended to investigate infrastructure for charging various types of EVs based on their battery specifications and charging methods and to plan public charging infrastructure locations. The space allocation of the public infrastructure has been proposed based on road density and activity areas. For high-density roads, infrastructure provision has been proposed at every two km with six stations; for medium-density roads, every four km with four stations; and for low-density roads, every six km with two stations. The paper’s key findings include the establishment of a methodology to find the EV demand and e-infrastructure requirement for the baseline years of 2025 and 2030 to suffice EV needs for the city of Bhubaneswar, India. The proposal includes policy support and intelligent technology to weave a robust e-infrastructure across the city.