A Comparative Study of the Feasibility of Alternative Fuel Vehicles for Sustainable Transportation in India: A Hybrid Approach of DEMATEL and TOPSIS

Due to the increasing contribution of vehicles to air pollution, rapid depletion of petroleum sources, considerable fluctuations in gasoline prices, and high dependency on politically volatile oil-producing nations, alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) are gaining popularity amongst users as well as manufacturers. This study explores all the major factors that impact the feasibility of AFVs for cleaner and sustainable transportation. This study is based on the opinions of both the users and industry experts regarding screening the factors influencing the feasibility of AFVs in their adoption. An integrated framework of Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) integrated tools has been used to determine the importance of the factors influencing the adoption of AFVs and compare the AFVs against these factors. It has been observed that people are giving more preference to electric vehicles (EVs) compared to solar, hydrogen, and biofuel-based vehicles to replace fossil-fuel vehicles. However, the adoption of EVs has major constraints, such as long charging time, insufficient charging infrastructure, and the high initial cost of vehicles. This study may help the governments to formulate effective policy and take initiatives for cleaner and sustainable transportation in India.