Spatial analysis of the BEV market and the corresponding charging infrastructure in Hungary

Abstract

The adoption of fuel-efficient vehicles, especially battery electric vehicles (BEVs), is becoming an emerging priority on the global level. At first, it may seem that the major issue from the consumer side is the high price of BEVs that are not competitive with internal combustion (IC) vehicles. However, aspects like technological developments, battery safety measures, implemented safety features, design, range anxiety, charging infrastructure, environmental consciousness and sustainability also play a significant role in the decision-making process of BEV purchasing. This paper examines the connection between BEV registrations and Hungary's available public charging infrastructure. Data on the number of new BEV registrations, public charging stations and energy consumption from public charging are gathered for each county and region in Hungary. Until 2020, a division between the Eastern and Western parts of the country can be detected considering BEV adoption, but in 2021 this difference will diminish. Even though it can be seen from the raw data that the number of BEV registrations is growing faster than the number of available charging stations, existing stations prove to be properly located, covering regions that either have high BEV registrations or are part of transit paths with high traffic. Also, it is shown that BEV registrations grow proportionately higher in regions where more charging stations are available.