Towards sustainable cities : a KPI-based method to compare cities’ performance and encourage the spread of electric cars

Menendez Agudin, Alvaro (author), Caballini, Claudia (author), Deflorio, Francesco Paolo (author), Fernandez Aznar, Gregorio (author), Herman, Leopold (author), Knez, Klemen (author)

European cities have adopted different solutions to address the challenges of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, depending on their specific characteristics and needs. The widespread adoption of effective solutions could accelerate the transition towards more sustainable urban mobility. However, as cities differ in socio-economic, infrastructural, and environmental aspects, a one-size-fits-all approach may not be suitable. Currently, there is a lack of studies in the literature that identify similarities among cities to support the development of shared strategies for sustainable electric mobility. This paper contributes to filling this gap by proposing a methodology based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to classify and compare cities according to their electric vehicle infrastructure. Using quantitative data from 80 European cities across civil, social, and transport-related factors, as well as electric vehicle charging characteristics, we identified five reference city clusters. A sensitivity analysis, conducted across 30 scenarios, validated the robustness of the KPI framework. This approach provides a tool for policymakers to monitor the evolution of charging infrastructure, supporting data-driven decision-making for sustainable urban mobility. By promoting efficient and adaptable electric vehicle policies, this study aligns with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly in fostering sustainable cities and clean energy adoption.

• Language: English
• Keywords: urban sustainable mobility, electric cars, charging infrastructures, KPIs, clusters, robustness, K-Means clustering method
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FE - Faculty of Electrical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 27 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 17, iss. 7, art. 3052
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-168387
• UDC: 629.331-83
• ISSN on article: 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su17073052
• COBISS.SI-ID: 232223235
• Publication date in RUL: 11.04.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Sustainability
• Shortened title: Sustainability
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2071-1050
• COBISS.SI-ID: 5324897

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: urbana trajnostna mobilnost, električna vozila, polnilna infrastruktura, kazalniki, gručenje, robustnost, metoda k-voditeljev

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Project number: 875683
• Name: Large demonstratIoN of user CentrIc urban and long-range charging solutions to boosT an engaging deployment of Electric Vehicles in Europe
• Acronym: INCIT-EV