Amir Ali Mostaghis, Negin Mirzaei, Hossein Yousefi, Ahmad Hajinezhad, Mahmood Abdoos
This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis based on over 85,000 papers sourced from the SCOPUS database between 2016 and early 2025. Utilizing VOSviewer, the EV research domain was categorized into 15 thematic clusters based on a keyword co-occurrence threshold of 34. Cluster labels were assigned according to the most frequent and central terms, and further validated through manual inspection of representative publications. Recent developments and emerging trends in each criterion have been outlined, using network, overlay, and density maps. Sustainability insights were derived from clusters such as “Environment,” “Sustainability and Resource Management,” and “Hydrogen,” highlighting contributions to carbon reduction, circular economy, and green fuel transitions. China has the most published papers overall, and India and United States follow after, showcasing global research distribution. Notably, the dominance of China and the rapid growth of hydrogen-related research emerged as key findings. Emerging trends include the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in EV infrastructure and the rise of hydrogen supply chain logistics emphasizing the combination of sustainable energy sources, technology acceptance, and developing modeling techniques. Findings of this study provide valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. Through this study, the multidisciplinary nature of EV research has been underlined, with clear implications for sustainable transportation systems. Findings of this study provide valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders, offering a structured evidence base to guide investment decisions, policy design, and the strategic advancement of electric mobility systems.