Determination of electric vehicle charging station location based on a three-stage method: BWM, game theory, and a multi-objective programing approach

Interest in electric vehicles has increased significantly due to energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction goals within smart urbanization strategies. Determining the optimal locations of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) is therefore a critical decision problem, as limited stations must efficiently serve users while minimizing access time. This study proposes an integrated analytical approach for EVCS location planning. In the first stage, the Best–Worst Method (BWM) is employed to identify the most appropriate criteria for EVCS placement. In the second stage, a game theory model is developed using expert-evaluated factors, where strategies are formed through pairwise combinations of these factors. In the third stage, an objective function is defined to minimize access costs by optimizing the number of charging stations under increasing demand conditions. Due to conflicting objectives in EVCS network design, a multi-objective programming approach is applied. Scenario analyses demonstrate the robustness and practical applicability of the proposed approach.