Decarbonizing and fortifying electric vehicle charging infrastructure through ambient energy harvesting

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) imposes dual pressures on urban power grids, intensifying electricity demand and vulnerability to disruptions. This study proposes an integrated framework for developing energy-efficient and self-sufficient EV charging infrastructure by harnessing underutilized high-entropy energy sources in road environments, including vehicular vibration, thermal gradients, and precipitation. This framework integrates renewable energy generation, infrastructure energy consumption, infrastructure configuration, and operational scheduling. A case study in Beijing shows that the proposed framework reduces annual energy consumption of EV infrastructure by 50.18%, achieves an energy self-sufficiency rate of 63.80%, and cuts carbon emissions by 80.13%. Under grid outage scenarios, the system maintains over 96.41% of normal operation through localized energy supply, demonstrating strong resilience. Economically, while high initial costs hinder market adoption, short-term policy mandates and long-term cost reductions are vital for scaling deployment. The findings provide a practical pathway toward decarbonized, grid-independent, and resilient EV charging ecosystems.