From research to roadmaps: Electric vehicle studies driving sustainable policy frameworks

Achieving sustainable development goals requires transformative approaches, with transportation offering significant decarbonization potential. While electric vehicle (EV) research has grown rapidly, early studies focused on bibliometric trends or impact of policies on EV adoption, neglecting the reverse dynamic—how research shapes policy. This paper fills this gap by analyzing how EV research influences policy using a methodological framework. A dataset of 44,246 Scopus articles, cross-referenced with Overton database quantifies the policy impact of EV research, identifying key contributors such as influential journals (Transportation Research Part A & D, Energy Policy), authors, and countries. Our findings reveal that articles on cost comparisons, environmental metrics, and integration solutions hold significant policy influence despite low traditional citation counts. Topic modeling highlights policy resonance in studies on battery technology, emission reduction, and grid integration. This work advocates for multi-metric approaches, combining bibliometric and policy impact assessments, to advance science-policy studies and drive societal change.