Alternative Vehicle Adoption: Opportunities, Challenges, Policies and Strategies

The decarbonization of the transport sector represents a critical pathway to achieving global energy transition objectives. This shift is driven by growing consumer inclination toward alternative vehicles, with the demand for electric vehicles steadily rising and hydrogen vehicles gaining increasing momentum. However, the economic and structural dynamics of this transition are complex, with challenges to adoption — particularly for hydrogen vehicles — that differ significantly across developed, emerging, and least developed economies. Understanding these dynamics is essential for policymakers, investors, and industry stakeholders to design effective strategies that enable a faster and more equitable shift to cleaner transport solutions.This Research Topic seeks to explore the multifaceted challenges and opportunities shaping the adoption of alternative vehicles across global markets. It aims to provide a comprehensive examination of the barriers impeding penetration of electric, hydrogen, and other cleaner vehicle technologies. This includes the role of policy instruments, market-specific strategies, and the socio-economic conditions that distinguish different regions. The goal is to gather insights grounded in strong theoretical and empirical research that can guide energy policy and investment toward accelerating decarbonization in the transport sector.We invite submissions on a wide range of topics related to alternative vehicle adoption and transport decarbonization, including but not limited to:• Adoption of electric vehicles (EV) across different markets and regions.• Strategies and policies for increasing the penetration of EVs and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCV).• Public perception of EV adoption and its environmental impact.• Enablers and barriers to alternative vehicle adoption, with a focus on emerging and least developed economies.• Government incentives — including subsidies, taxes, and viability gap funding — in promoting alternative vehicle uptake.• Comparative policy research on EVs, HFCVs, hybrid vehicles, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, and flexi vehicles. Topic editors: Sanjay Kumar Kar Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82783/alternative-vehicle-adoption-opportunities-challenges-policies-and-strategies