An In-Depth Exploration of Electric Vehicle Charging Station Infrastructure: A Comprehensive Review of Challenges, Mitigation Approaches, and Optimization Strategies

The increasing popularity and number of electric vehicles (EVs) globally have resulted in a growing demand for efficient, reliable, and effective electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) infrastructure. However, the development and implementation of this infrastructure involves various challenges, including the variety of EVs, charging and battery technologies, high installation costs, limited grid capacity, and uncertainties regarding future demand, and raises issues regarding the quality, security, and stability of the power system. This paper presents a holistic understanding of the challenges, mitigation approaches, and available technologies and protocols related to EVCS network deployment. Moreover, optimization strategies such as location planning, network integration, scheduling charging time, and planning price, which involve maximizing the utilization of charging stations and minimizing associated costs, and their modeling techniques are highlighted. This review aims to provide insights to develop sustainable, efficient EVCS infrastructure while overcoming the challenges and optimizing the benefits.