This study aims to analyze the research trends, expansion of the field, intellectual and social structure of scholarly publications on electric vehicles (EVs), policy frameworks and sustainability. The goal is to identify significant publications, notable contributors, patterns of collaboration and emerging research themes affecting the progress of green initiatives and sustainable mobility research.
This study uses a bibliometric approach to analyze the data from 958 papers on EVs and sustainable transportation retrieved from the Scopus database from 2011 to 2026. Analysis was conducted using R Biblioshiny and VOSviewer to determine the research trend, significant contributors in the field, intellectual structure, social structure, significant research themes and their growth over time within the field.
The results show a significant rise in research output and highlight that decarbonization and sustainable transportation are attracting more attention worldwide. It also shows that a small number of highly productive journals, authors and countries provide the majority of intellectual contributions. Thematic evolution presents a shift in research focus from early environmental issues to technological advancements, consumer adoption, EV infrastructure and policy-oriented sustainability initiatives.
Findings of the study highlight the significant research areas and policy mechanisms that facilitate the transition toward sustainable transportation, thereby offering insightful information to researchers, policymakers and industry stakeholders.
The study contributes to the body of existing literature by systematically presenting the intellectual framework and thematic evolution of EVs, policy frameworks and sustainable transportation.
