Summary
Environmental, economical, and social benefits of the electric vehicle (EV) makes it as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel driven vehicles. Despite numerous advantages brought by the electrified transportation, it will place a profound impact on the power grids. However, the present EV planning studies have not paid enough attention to the grid impacts, concerns, and priorities. Therefore, a comprehensive multi‐objective EV charging station planning framework is developed, which not only satisfies the EV users and the charging facility investors but which also maintains reliable grid operation. The voltage‐dependent characteristic of the EV load has been taken into consideration. An index that is based on the system reactive power reserve has been introduced to compare relative voltage stability status in different cases. The proposed planning framework is tested and verified by building up a realistic case using EV prediction data and transportation data for the city of Brisbane. Furthermore, the ability of catering for more EV demand with less associated grid impacts is proved by incorporating renewable energy integration. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.