## 1 Introduction  
As the global pursuit of sustainable energy solutions intensifies, the integration of electric vehicles (EVs) into urban areas has become a pivotal aspect of modern transportation planning for a sustainable future. Demand for a reliable and widespread charging infrastructure is rising along with the popularity of EVs. This paper focuses on Hail City, situated in the heart of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), as a case study to explore the design and implementation of a solar charging station network for EVs. This study aims to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the urban landscape and develop a comprehensive blueprint that aligns with the Kingdom's vision for a greener and more sustainable transportation sector. The geographical and climatic characteristics of Hail City provide a distinctive context for the implementation of solar charging stations. With abundant sunlight throughout the year, leveraging solar energy not only contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but also aligns with Saudi Arabia's vast renewable energy (RE) potential. This research endeavors to explore the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of integrating solar charging infrastructure into the existing urban framework of Hail City, considering factors such as the energy demand, grid integration, and user accessibility. Furthermore, this study delves into the potential economic and societal impacts of adopting photovoltaic electric vehicle charging stations (PV-EVCSs). It seeks to assess the long-term sustainability and scalability of the proposed model, keeping in mind the evolving landscape of urban mobility and the Kingdom's ambitious Vision 2030 goals. By combining the advantages of electric mobility and solar energy, the solar charging station network aims to serve as a pioneering model for other urban centers in the KSA and beyond, fostering a paradigm shift toward a cleaner and more sustainable transportation ecosystem. With a land area of almost 2.15 million km\({}^{2}\), the KSA is the biggest nation in the Middle East and the 13 th largest in the globe. The KSA now has a population of approximately 37.5 million, having grown significantly over time [1]. The KSA is well known for having large reserves of fossil fuels, especially oil [2]. The KSA is ideally suited for photovoltaic (PV) technology due to its abundant solar resources [3]. The KSA stands to gain a great deal by utilizing its solar potential, including lower GHG emissions, better air quality, increased energy security, and energy diversification. Intending to produce 50% of the nation's electricity from renewable sources by 2030, the government has launched an ambitious RE plan [4; 5; 6]. In addition to making large investments in wind and solar power plants, this plan calls for building a strong infrastructure to enable the integration of RE sources [6]. A regulation controlling the usage of EVs in the KSA was published in 2018 by the Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization [7]. In 2021, the country launched its green initiative to mitigate the effects of climate change. Raising the percentage of EVs to 30% of all cars in Riyadh is one of the initiatives [8]. The end users of the final conventional energy source consumption in the KSA, including companies and households, account for the majority. These users utilize these sources to power industries, run lights, appliances, and transport, as well as to cool and heat buildings. Energy usage is significantly influenced by transportation. The transport sector recorded 31-33% of the overall energy demand from 2012 to 2019. Statistics also show that the percentage decreased to 27.65% of the total conventional energy sources consumption in the year 2021, see Table 1. This decrease may be due to the increase in the price of fuel. However, efforts have been made to address environmental concerns. In addition, the fuel efficiency of new small vehicles increased by 10% in 2016 as a result of the introduction of fuel economy performance requirements.