Planning the Urban Shift to Electromobility Using a Cost-Benefit-Analysis Optimization Framework: The Case of Nicosia Cyprus

Electromobility is considered the foreseeable future of road transportation and a significant shift to vehicles' consumer behaviour. Electric Vehicles (EV) adoption has environmental benefits linked to lower emissions and noise levels, that improve the quality of life, especially in urban areas. Nevertheless, to reap these benefits, both the energy and the transport sector have to be reformed. However, the combination of both sectors provides a complex system within which electromobility adoption has to be planned. The work herein proposes a framework to plan the shift to electromobility on the urban level. The proposed framework uses system theory and the Cost-Benefit-Analysis (CBA) tool to plan the shift to electromobility. An application of the framework is provided for the case of Cyprus’s capital, Nicosia, within a 20-year scope. The results of the do-nothing scenario presented herein, indicate that increased socio-environmental benefits can be anticipated by embracing electromobility, providing room for optimal policies.