Charging station placement for electric vehicles by using fahp and k-means clustering

In recent years, a rapid increase has been observed in the number of vehicles in traffic, as well as the spread of harmful gases released from vehicles. As problems such as air pollution and global warming increase, especially in metropolises, it has become almost imperative to increase and develop the use of renewable energy resources instead of using fossil fuels. In order to reduce this air pollution and the damage it causes to nature, studies are carried out to reduce gas emissions, and studies are directed towards the development of electric vehicles. Most of these studies emphasize that electric vehicles demonstrate an environmentally friendly approach and enhance quality of life. With the increasing use of electric vehicles both in Türkiye and worldwide, the problem of finding easily accessible charging stations on the road has become apparent. Several criteria are considered in determining the optimal locations for the installation of charging stations. In this study, seven different districts of Istanbul were considered, and the importance levels of criteria and alternatives were determined using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) method to identify the most suitable locations for charging stations. Finally, optimal locations wereselected by clustering among the candidate locations in the selected districts. This study represents a comprehensive approach using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) and K means techniques to determine the locations of electric vehicle charging stations.