Electric vehicles and sustainable development goals: A multi-level governance analysis
Niklas Tilly,
Tan Yigitcanlar,
Kenan Degirmenci,
Sylvia Y. He,
Becky Loo and
Alexander Paz
Transport Policy, 2025, vol. 171, issue C, 239-255
Abstract:
Electric vehicle (EV) adoption is driven by government incentives and strategies aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A coordinated, multi-level governance (MLG) approach is essential as fragmented efforts generate societal costs and undermine long-term sustainability commitments. This study analyses EV and EV supply equipment (EVSE) policies in Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States to determine how they contribute to the SDGs. Using MLG theory, it examines vertical and horizontal government integration for policy coherence for sustainable development (PCSD). A thematic analysis of 108 policies shows that most incentives support SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 3 (good health) and SDG 8 (economic growth). Policy discrepancies between national and local governments are observed for SDG 11 (sustainable cities). Governments integrate vertically through funding and horizontally through informal collaboration, increasingly engaging stakeholders in information sharing. The findings highlight the role of MLG in strengthening PCSD, as well as the contribution of transport electrification strategies to achieving the SDGs. The study provides insights for policymakers and academics and highlights the need for integrated policy design and implementation for sustainable transport.
Keywords: Electric vehicle; Electric vehicle policy; Charging infrastructure; Policy analysis; Technology adoption; Sustainable development goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:
Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X25002331
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:trapol:v:171:y:2025:i:c:p:239-255
Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/supportfaq.cws_home/regional
https://shop.elsevie ... _01_ooc_1&version=01
DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.06.008
Access Statistics for this article
Transport Policy is currently edited by Y. Hayashi
More articles in Transport Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().