PRJ6001 Applied Project Report 4 Sample

PRJ6001 Applied Project Report 4

Assessment Detail

Students prepare a final report, model, or artefact of the research study.

The final report will incorporate key aspects of the applied research and will be presented in a structured and coherent manner which is appropriate for a research report or publication. This will include abstract, introduction, methods, objectives/questions, results, discussion/analysis, recommendations, conclusion and appropriate referencing and its totally based on Ass 2

For this Assessment which Includes synthesis of findings of all key authors in the field with a wide range of references specific to the topic using a structure like shown below:

1. Project Title

2. Abstract: provide a summary of the literature review

3. Critical evaluation of the literature: this section may be divided into several sub-sections depending on nature of the research

4. Identification of research gaps

5. Conclusion

6. References and Resources: provide references to key research studies, government reports and/or industry reports using Harvard Referencing.

Solution

1. Introduction

Background

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a big step towards more environmentally friendly transportation, but they are still not widely used in Australia. EVs only comprise 3.6% of the market while growing exponentially in other markets worldwide (Lodhia et al. 2024). While EVs are on high demand, they are difficult to buy because they have serious charging infrastructure problems, high initial costs, and short ranges. As per the FCAI (2023), policies could substantially boost adoption through grants reaching A$21,000 for each vehicle. This underscores the importance of such financial incentives. A considerable infrastructure deficit is indicated by the necessity for a massive investment to expand Australia's fast-charging network with an additional 5,800 charging points to satisfy future demands (Melton et al. 2020). According to prior studies, users' trust in electric vehicles is highly linked with the ease and accessibility of charging infrastructure (Jenn et al. 2020). More people are buying electric vehicles due to reliable charging choices, updated power lines, and green energy sources (Kester et al. 2018). Comparative studies of states like California and Japan that have strong electric vehicle (EV) markets show that policies that mix direct funding, carbon laws, and infrastructure development work (Lodhia et al. 202).

Consequently, the present research is pertinent as it enhances the understanding of how to encourage the populace to purchase electric vehicles, which is optimal for the environment and for subsequent legislation. Through this, it would be feasible to address several primary concerns, such as infrastructure development and policy coherence, along with future-proof advantages for the populace. It is anticipated that the findings can assist in shaping national strategies, facilitating the utilidation of green energy, and paving the way for increased public and private transportation to adopt electric mobility.

Rationale

To understand how charging infrastructure development affects customer behaviour and how policy and economic factors can speed up this shift, this research aims to investigate the relationship between charging infrastructure and EV usage. In that context, the following research questions are made-

● How does the availability and accessibility of charging infrastructure affect EV adoption rates?

● What role do financial and non-financial incentives for MBA assignment expert play in overcoming infrastructure-related barriers to EV adoption?

● What are the key challenges in developing a sustainable EV charging network, and how can these challenges be addressed effectively?

Moving from internal combustion engine (ICE) cars to electric vehicles (EVs) is a key step towards meeting global net-zero pollution goals, as Qadir et al. (2024) stress. However, getting many people to buy EVs will require solving big problems, such as a lack of infrastructure, high costs, and low customer knowledge. This research examines these issues and provides useful data that government officials, legislators, and industry players can use to improve the long-term viability and efficiency of the EV market. It has been identified from the research by Lodhia et al. (2024) that Australia's EV sales are only growing at a rate of 3.6% per year, which also highlights the importance of quick solutions. Research results could provide solid bases for motivating regulations, promotion programs, and infrastructure investments to accelerate the acceptance and consideration of electric vehicles (EVs). This research is highly important for improving natural resilience and helping the world fight climate change. The slow uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and the important role of charging infrastructure in that uptake can be understood better by studying the problems and factors that help or hinder EV usage on a large scale.

In the same context, Lodhia et al.'s (2024) research suggests that positive changes in government policies and strong leadership are needed to encourage people to buy electric vehicles. On the other hand, the research's methodological focus on Australian stakeholder views means that it cannot be used extensively in other areas. Qadir et al. (2024) look into sustainable transportation management and find that infrastructure, cost, and policy issues are the main things stopping people from using electric vehicles. Furthermore, they push for strong financial and non-financial rewards, stressing that complete policy structures are necessary to solve these problems. Although Qadir et al. (2024) look at all the problems that make it hard for people to buy electric vehicles, it does not detail how buyer knowledge and infrastructure readiness affect each other. So, it has been critically analysed that the existing or prior research has several gaps. First, many studies only look at economic and policy benefits, not enough at how people act and why infrastructure is not being built everywhere (Egbue and Long, 2012). There is also a lot of research on incentives, but it is still unclear how well they work in the long run (Sheldon, 2022). Previous research does not examine how adopting electric vehicles, adding green energy, and updating the power grid can work together. This research fills the gaps by concentrating on how charging infrastructure affects EV adoption rates, especially in places like Australia, where growth is slow. It closely examines the problems with the current infrastructure, checks how well policies and incentives are working, and uses different stakeholders' opinions to develop workable solutions to boost EV usage and fill in the gaps between policy and real-world application.

2. Objectives and Questions

The research’s major objectives are the following-

● “To examine the relationship between charging infrastructure availability and the adoption rate of electric vehicles (EVs).”

Examining how charging station ease and availability affect EV usage rates is a key objective. The lack of a broad, stable charging network is still a big reason why EVs are not more popular. Studies show that how easy it is to get to charging points has a big effect on people's decision to buy electric vehicles (Jenn et al. 2020). To speed up uptake, Australia needs to make a big investment to grow its charging infrastructure. This shows how important it is to make charging easier for everyone right away.

● “To analyse the influence of financial incentives and government policies on accelerating EV adoption.”
The significance of financial incentives and government policies in promoting EV adoption is another objective. By making EVs more affordable, offering financial incentives such as grants may boost EV adoption. Policies that combine direct support, carbon regulations, and infrastructure development have shown to be effective in regions like California and Japan (Lodhia et al. 2024).

● “To identify the key barriers related to charging infrastructure that deter widespread EV adoption and propose sustainable solutions.”

The research’s objective is to identify the main infrastructure-related barriers to EV adoption, like the lack of charging sites, cost or tax issues, etc. Finding long-term solutions to these issues, such as expanding fast-charging networks and adding green energy or modified governmental policies are necessary to get around them and get more people to switch to EV.

3 Methods

Research Philosophy & Approach

This research was conducted on an interpretivism research philosophy. The purpose of the study was to find out how people and communities regard and experience problems related to the adoption of electric vehicles, especially regarding the charging infrastructure. Thus, interpretivism was suitable and helped to know how the research would get to an understanding of the complexities of one's and groups' thoughts and actions (Dzwigol, 2022). This would help to understand how government policies, financial incentives, and charging infrastructure affect EV adoption. This method helped the researcher learn more about the environmental and social factors that support or oppose the switch to electric travel (Mishra and Mishra, 2023). On the other hand, this research opted for a deductive research approach. This approach allowed the researcher to theoretically test some hypotheses and ideas with regard to charging infrastructure availability and financial incentives, government policies, and the rate of electric vehicle adoption (Pandey and Pandey, 2021). The researcher could clearly look at how these factors combine in the Australian setting by starting with well-known ideas and narrowing them down to specific variables.

Data Collection Method

For this research, a secondary data collection method was used. Relevant and trustworthy secondary data sources were chosen, such as peer-reviewed studies, government reports, and industry publications (Dzwigol, 2022). The researcher used secondary data to get ideas from previous research. This lets the researcher do a more thorough study without collecting much primary data, which takes a lot of time (Habu and Henderson, 2023). At the same time, the secondary data collection method made the research cost-effective. In other words, the PRISMA method was used to find articles and sources that were useful for the research (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). An organised, clear, and repeatable approach to finding, choosing, and reviewing articles is ensured by this method (Mishra and Mishra, 2023). A thorough review was done to find the most important works on the research topic. The following table shows initially, 309 articles were selected. However, due to insufficient data, lack of full content, and different languages, the researcher excluded 304 articles and finally selected 5 appropriate articles.

Figure 1: PRISMA Diagram
(Source: Author)

Five articles were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, which are highlighted in the following table.

Table 1: Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
(Source: Author)

The following table 3 suggests the Boolean operator for an easy and effective search strategy.

Table 2: Boolean Operator
(Source: Author)

Data Analysis

To examine the gathered secondary data, thematic data analysis method was used. For finding trends (themes) in qualitative data, thematic analysis is a popular method. The researchers found recurrent topics in the literature, such as the impact of charging infrastructure on EV adoption, financial incentives, and government policies, making this method suitable for this research. The researchers were able to understand better the main factors affecting EV adoption by breaking down large amounts of complicated data into useful groups using theme analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2024). Thematic analysis also helped to bring together the results of different pieces, giving a clear and complete picture of the things that affect EV adoption and the role of charging infrastructure.

Ethical considerations

Some ethical issues that might arise in secondary research are protecting data privacy, avoiding plagiarism, and giving credit where credit is due. To keep academic ethics throughout the research process, the researcher only uses publicly available, peer-reviewed sources, properly citing all references and ensuring that all data is given transparently and without manipulation.

4. Results & Discussion

Based on the thematic method, this section presents the findings using five secondary sources.

Theme 1- The relationship between charging infrastructure availability and the adoption rate of electric vehicles (EVs)

Table 3: Thematic Table for Theme 1
(Source: Author)

Theme 2- The influence of financial incentives and government policies on accelerating EV adoption

Table 4: Thematic Table for Theme 2
(Source: Author)

Theme 3- The key barriers related to charging infrastructure that deter widespread EV adoption

Table 5: Thematic Table for Theme 3
(Source: Author)

Discussion

Theme 1

The findings demonstrated the critical relationship between EV adoption rates and the availability of charging infrastructure. The findings suggested that almost 32% (highlighted in Figure 2) of people in Australia face barriers because they do not have access to charging infrastructure, and the problem is even worse in rural places, where it affects 37–39% of people (CPRC.org.au, 2022).

Figure 2: Charging Barriers
(Source: CPRC.org.au, 2022)

According to the study, 85% of Australians can name one or more barriers to EV adoption, including infrastructure (32%), charging time (27%), and performance issues (34%) (CPRC.org.au, 2022). Similar to this, Qadir et al. (2024) report that despite high demand, only 2% of cars sold in Australia in 2021 were EVs, with charging infrastructure being a major barrier. Expanding infrastructure is crucial for beating barriers like range anxiety and enabling a shift to net-zero emissions, as the data shows that areas with extensive charging networks, like the Netherlands and China, experience higher EV adoption rates. In order to encourage EV adoption, this research emphasises the need for policy measures aimed at improving charging access (Qadir et al. 2024).

Theme 2

The findings from the table 4 are greatly supportive in terms of understanding the slow adoption of EVs in Australia and bring out that strong government actions are required. Dwyer et al. (2021) argued that, compared with Norway, which has one charger serving only 397 people, there is one charger serving over 11,039 Australians. India thus has something of a mountain to climb as far as developing an adequate charging network for EV power supply is concerned (as suggested by the Figure 3).

Figure 3: Public Charger Using Rate
(Source: Dwyer et al. 2021)

The findings stressed that how important it is to provide financial incentives such as tax breaks and handouts along with building infrastructure. This can be seen in the City of Adelaide's EV charge spot return. Better policies are needed, according to Lodhia et al. (2024), to get a lot of EVs on the road by 2040. These include making it harder for cars to pollute and adding more fast-charging networks. These findings are crucial not only for Australia but also for other nations that want to promote EV adoption. These examples show how important it is to get both financial and government help to switch to cleaner forms of transportation.

Theme 3

Lack of charging infrastructure is one of several major barriers to EV adoption in Australia, according to the research findings. EVs are very popular, but people are hesitant to buy them because they are expensive, take a long time to charge, and there are not many public charging stations (Dcceew.gov.au, 2023). According to these findings from Dcceew.gov.au (2023), despite the fact that 80% of charging occurs at home, the public charging network is still insufficient, with only 4,900 chargers available nationwide. Concerns about range anxiety and the ease of charging are directly affected by this problem, which slows down the general adoption of EVs. To overcome barriers to EV adoption and promote a long-term EV market, it is essential to address these infrastructure issues.

Proposed Solutions

Hence, this section provides some sustainable solutions, based on the overall findings. In that case, governments and private actors should invest in hastening the development of a strong and broad public charging networks especially in rural and regional areas (Aungkulanon et al. 2023). As part of this infrastructure development, fast-charging stations should be put in key places to help EV users feel less worried about their range and make sure they can easily reach charging stations on long trips, which will encourage more people to buy EVs. Additionally, the lack of charging places at home and at work could be fixed by giving better financial incentives to both private and business property owners to put on charging stations (Qadir et al. 2024). For example, tax breaks, loans, and refunds could be used as incentives. These would lower the initial costs and get more businesses and homes to spend on charging infrastructure.

Broader Implications

In terms of the research, charging infrastructure affects electric vehicle (EV) adoption in several different ways- societal, economic, business, and even regulatory levels. On the social front, enhanced charging infrastructure helps reduce range anxiety and makes EVs promising for wider audiences, including people living in rural and underserved areas, thus ensuring more equitable access to sustainable transport and enhanced social cohesion (Mandolakani and Singleton, 2024). Growing charging networks in public places and people's homes is effective for the economy because it creates jobs in building, manufacturing, and upkeep and encourages investments in green energy solutions. EV market growth is also helped by financial incentives for charging infrastructure that lowers barriers for both individuals and companies (LaMonaca and Ryan, 2022). For businesses, solving charging problems gives automobile and charging companies chances to come up with new ideas and work together. It can also help other businesses grow, like those that store energy and make smart grid technologies. The findings highlight the importance of strong government policies at the regulatory level. Governments can speed up the EV shift and meet environmental aims by requiring carbon reductions or global net zero emission goals, improving financial incentives, and setting strict infrastructure goals (Qadir et al. 2024).

5. Conclusion & Recommendation

Overall, the research discussed the factors that influence the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia has identified major barriers to their widespread adoption, such as insufficiency of charging facilities, high prices, and absence of policies on EV usage. The key findings show that charging infrastructure supply and access play an important role in the consideration of EV upfront costs from a total cost of ownership point of view. It was clear that many customers in regional and rural places did not see the lack of infrastructure as a problem with adoption. Strong government policies and financial incentives like tax breaks and handouts were named as important ways to get more people to buy electric vehicles (EVs). Comparing the situations of nations like China and the Netherlands, who have excelled in foreign markets, reveals that they need consistent policy frameworks, significant infrastructure expenditures, and environmental regulations. By means of this research, it then becomes more significant in the fact that it fills in some of the current literature gaps existing on how such infrastructure, policy and market behaviour come into effect. It gave policymakers, industry stakeholders, and environmentalists useful information they could use to support sustainable transportation. Focusing on the requirements of strategic investments and monetary incentives, the research played its role in setting the path towards a larger adoption of EVs in Australia, adding its voice to the global efforts moving toward net-zero emissions and the utilization of renewable energy.

Recommendations for Future Work

Primary data could be added to future research by surveying or interviewing Australian EV owners to learn more about customer tastes and problems from their own points of view. Investigating the part of modern technologies, like AI-driven charging network optimisation and the incorporation of green energy, would lead to creative ways to get around infrastructure barriers. Besides, longitudinal assessments would also help to give an understanding of the long-term effectiveness of financial incentives and policy interventions in different demographics and geographical regions about sustainable ways of adopting EVs.

References

Aungkulanon, P., Atthirawong, W. and Luangpaiboon, P., 2023. Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process for strategic decision making in electric vehicle adoption. Sustainability, 15(8), p.7003.

Braun, V. and Clarke, V., 2024. Supporting best practice in reflexive thematic analysis reporting in Palliative Medicine: A review of published research and introduction to the Reflexive Thematic Analysis Reporting Guidelines (RTARG). Palliative Medicine, 38(6), pp.608-616.

Cprc.org.au. 2022. The barriers and potential enablers of electric vehicle uptake in Australia. Available at: https://cprc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/EV_WorkingPaper_Final.pdf (Accessed on: 12 December 2024)

Dcceew.gov.au. 2023. National Electric Vehicle Strategy. Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national-electric-vehicle-strategy.pdf (Accessed on: 12 December 2024)

Dwyer, S., Moutou, C., Nagrath, K., Wyndham, J., McIntosh, L. and Chapman, D., 2021. An Australian perspective on local government investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Sustainability, 13(12), p.6590.

Dzwigol, H., 2022. Research methodology in management science: Triangulation. Virtual Economics, 5(1), pp.78-93.

Egbue, O. and Long, S., 2012. Barriers to widespread adoption of electric vehicles: An analysis of consumer attitudes and perceptions. Energy policy, 48, pp.717-729.
FCAI, 2023. News And Media. Available at: https://www.fcai.com.au/news-and-media/ (Accessed on: 12 December 2024)

Habu, A.A. and Henderson, T., 2023. Data subject rights as a research methodology: A systematic literature review. Journal of Responsible Technology, p.100070.

Jenn, A., Lee, J.H., Hardman, S. and Tal, G., 2020. An in-depth examination of electric vehicle incentives: Consumer heterogeneity and changing response over time. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 132, pp.97-109.

Kester, J., Noel, L., de Rubens, G.Z. and Sovacool, B.K., 2018. Promoting Vehicle to Grid (V2G) in the Nordic region: Expert advice on policy mechanisms for accelerated diffusion. Energy Policy, 116, pp.422-432.

LaMonaca, S. and Ryan, L., 2022. The state of play in electric vehicle charging services–A review of infrastructure provision, players, and policies. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 154, p.111733.

Lodhia, S.K., Rice, J., Rice, B. and Martin, N., 2024. Assessment of electric vehicle adoption policies and practices in Australia: Stakeholder perspectives. Journal of Cleaner Production, 446, p.141300.

Mandolakani, F.S. and Singleton, P.A., 2024. Electric vehicle charging infrastructure deployment: A discussion of equity and justice theories and accessibility measurement. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 24, p.101072.

Melton, N., Axsen, J. and Moawad, B., 2020. Which plug-in electric vehicle policies are best? A multi-criteria evaluation framework applied to Canada. Energy Research & Social Science, 64, p.101411.

Mishra, V. and Mishra, M.P., 2023. PRISMA for Review of Management Literature–Method, Merits, and Limitations–An Academic Review. Advancing Methodologies of Conducting Literature Review in Management Domain, pp.125-136.

Pandey, P. and Pandey, M.M., 2021. Research methodology tools and techniques. Bridge Center.

Qadir, S.A., Ahmad, F., Al-Wahedi, A.M.A., Iqbal, A. and Ali, A., 2024. Navigating the complex realities of electric vehicle adoption: A comprehensive study of government strategies, policies, and incentives. Energy Strategy Reviews, 53, p.101379.

Sheldon, T.L., 2022. Evaluating electric vehicle policy effectiveness and equity. Annual Review of Resource Economics, 14(1), pp.669-688.