Objective With the rapid advancement of low-carbon transportation energy and digital transformation, the Vehicle Terminal Integrated Energy Station (VTIES), a vital hub for green transportation and intelligent energy, is increasingly attracting attention in the academia and industry. Systematically reviewing the research landscape and technological evolution in this field will help clarify the connections between research directions, refine core technologies, and identify sustainable optimization pathways.

Methods The research literature on VTIES from 2015 to 2024, both domestic and international, was used as the data source through CiteSpace. Key word co-occurrence, clustering, and timeline evolution analyses were applied to visualize and systematically summarize the research hotspots, cutting-edge topics, and development trends in this field.

Results A comparative analysis of domestic and international research revealed that international studies on VTIES prioritized system modeling and multi-objective optimization, resulting in a relatively mature technical framework. In particular, rich experience had been accumulated in advanced methods such as robust control, stochastic optimization, and deep reinforcement learning, enabling improved system scheduling in complex and uncertain environments. In contrast, domestic research was more application-driven, concentrating on charging pile deployment, coordinated scheduling of electric vehicle charging-discharging processes and demand response, thereby advancing the practical implementation of VTIES in urban transportation and regional energy systems. Additionally, the technical system in this field was evolving along multiple dimensions: (1) multi-energy coordinated scheduling had become a core issue; (2) transportation scenarios and energy systems were increasingly integrated; (3) intelligent control methods were progressively adopted.

Conclusion A differentiated development pattern has emerged in VTIES research internationally and domestically. International studies excel in methodological rigor and theoretical completeness, while domestic research is distinguished by its strong alignment with local application scenarios. Moving forward, integrating advanced international expertise with domestic transportation energy transition needs will be essential to establish a research framework focused on multi-energy complementarity and intelligent optimization, thereby advancing an efficient, clean, and innovative transportation energy system.