A Need Analysis of the Criteria Involved in Determining Suitable Locations for Photovoltaic Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Malaysia

The main concern is a lack of scientific planning for photovoltaic electric vehicle charging stations (PEVCS) that considers numerous main criteria and sub-criteria. PEVCS should be strategically positioned in an appropriate and ideal location to ensure that electric vehicle (EV) users may reach the stations within their driving range. While the adoption of solar is still minimal in Malaysia, Malaysia needs to move faster to allocate the PEVCS at the strategic locations. Regarding this matter, this study aims to determine the suitable criteria for allocating the location of PEVCS in Malaysia. 52 out of 177 sub-criteria and six main criteria items were selected for the Need Analysis in this study as part of the data collecting procedure, which involved 12 respondents. The result revealed that the Need Analysis was used to choose 41 of the sub-criteria, including society (8), economics (10), environment (7), technology (6), accessibility (6), and proximity (4). For future studies, it is recommended to use Likert scales for analysing the data from the Need Analysis, along with calculating the mean and standard deviation values, while utilizing GIS-based MCDM methods to allocate ideal PEVCS locations in Malaysia through the development of a new prediction location model.