Citation: Emodi, N.V.; Akuru, U.B.; Dioha, M.O.; Adoba, P.; Kuhudzai, R.J.; Bamisile, O. The Role of Internet of Things on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure and Consumer Experience. Energies 2023, 16, 4248. https://doi.org/10.3390/ en16104248 Academic Editors: Guillaume Guérard, Marc Bui and Soufian Ben Amor Received: 15 March 2023 Revised: 6 May 2023 Accepted: 15 May 2023 Published: 22 May 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). energies Review The Role of Internet of Things on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure and Consumer Experience Nnaemeka V. Emodi 1, *, Udochukwu B. Akuru 2 , Michael O. Dioha 3 , Patrick Adoba 4 , Remeredzai J. Kuhudzai 5 and Olusola Bamisile 6 1 UQ Business School, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia 2 Department of Electrical Engineering, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria 0183, South Africa; akuruub@tut.ac.za 3 Just Transition Network, Jakarta 10110, Indonesia; michael@dioha.us 4 Institute for Decarbonization and Energy Advancement, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA; patrickadobajunior@gmail.com 5 Department of Innovation, Electric Drive Africa, Kambanji, Glen Lorne, Harare 00263, Zimbabwe; remi@electricdriveafrica.biz 6 College of Nuclear Science and Automation Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China; boomfem@hotmail.com * Correspondence: nv.emodi@gmail.com or n.emodi@business.uq.edu.au Abstract: The drive for net-zero emission and global decarbonization spurred the need for a world- wide transition towards cleaner energy options. The fossil-fuel-dominated global transportation system is a target for these initiatives, accounting for 37% of recent carbon emissions. This has acceler- ated the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) into the global market to cut down carbon emissions and improve efficiency in the transportation sector. In the face of this growth, limitations in EV charging infrastructure still loom large amongst EV consumers. Resolving this bottleneck requires systematic approaches to ensure seamless operation and integration into the existing transport systems. This study examines the critical role of IoT in addressing the challenges of EV public charging through reviewing the literature to understand the inter-relation and highlighting its attendant impact on consumer experience. Findings show that while IoT serves as a strong tool to foster public interest through favorable public policy, its novel and innovative nature faces developmental challenges based on existing government policies that could hinder the interest of potential investors. Therefore, governments should consider evaluating existing policies and practices to ascertain their suitability for IoT adoption in EVs, ensuring that they do not constitute unintentional barriers. Keywords: internet of things; electric vehicle; transportation; EV charging infrastructure; energy transition 1. Introduction The current global transportation system is dominated by fossil fuels, which account for roughly 37% of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from end-use sectors [1]. Consequently, there is now worldwide support for cleaner transportation options in a direct bid to mitigate climate change. This shift has accelerated the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) into the global market with the promise of achieving low-carbon transportation, high efficiency, and consequent flexibility in grid operation and integration. It is no surprise to witness the recent year-on-year growth of EVs, which peaked at 6.6 million sales in 2021, compared to 12,000 units in 2012, with approximately 10% of current global car sales being electric vehicles. Following projections from the 2022 Global EV Outlook published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), EVs are expected to account for more than 30% of vehicle sales across all modes in 2030 (excluding two- and three-wheelers) [2]. While these statistics, coupled with advantageous government incentives and financial subsidies, point towards a bright future for EVs, there are attendant drawbacks, especially regarding the charging experience of EV consumers. Energies 2023, 16, 4248. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16104248 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies