Light Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Transport in Urban Areas: A Bibliometric Review

The use of light electric vehicles, such as e-bikes and e-scooters, is increasingly being adopted as a sustainable transport solution in urban areas. This is driven by the need for cleaner, faster, and space-efficient mobility solutions in urban areas. Although research on LEVs has grown over time, it remains fragmented across disciplines, creating a need for an integrated study on how LEVs contribute to sustainable transport in urban areas. This study conducted a bibliometric review to identify key themes in light electric vehicles and sustainable transport in urban areas and proposed future research agendas based on the conceptual patterns and research gaps. It utilised the Scopus database, focusing on the 552 publications from 2000 to 2025 retrieved on 30 September 2025. The Biblioshiny application (version 5.0) was used to perform bibliometric performance analysis and science mapping techniques. Results revealed that the publication trend steadily rose from 2015, with a significant upsurge after 2020, with an annual growth rate of 18.69%. Three dominant themes were identified: sustainability, integration with public transport, and technological innovations, alongside underexplored areas such as shared e-micromobility, freight delivery, as well as policy and governance. Future research should capture full lifecycle impacts, expand access to light electric vehicles beyond current user groups, and align rapid technological advances with inclusive governance frameworks.