The spatio-temporal relationship between electric vehicle charging demand and land use: Insights from Chinese metropolitan areas

Abstract

The rapid development of electric vehicle (EV) has attracted widespread attention in the last decade. However, most of the current studies focus mainly on the temporal utilization characteristics of charging stations, often ignoring the spatial utilization characteristics of them. This study utilizes road network datasets, points of interest data, and records of public charging stations, employing support vector regression and kernel density analysis techniques to explore the spatio-temporal relationships between land use characteristics in public charging station areas and the utilization patterns of these stations. Focusing on Beijing, China, this research analyzes a city that has achieved remarkable progress in sustainable mobility and has emerged as a pioneering force in the promotion of EV adoption. The results indicate that charging station utilization increases with higher densities of Financial (Fin), Service (Ser), and Commercial (Com) areas, while Residential areas show a decrease. Meanwhile, the charging demand on working days is more concentrated in the main urban areas and exhibits higher intensity compared to non-working days. Daytime demand significantly exceeds nighttime usage, with the peak occurring in the afternoon. The charging demand on working days is primarily driven by the Com-Ser, Work, and Com types in the main urban areas, while weekend demand extends to suburban Tour-Ser areas. Based on the identified issues, we propose optimization measures for public charging infrastructure to enhance availability and meet user demand efficiently.