The impacts of rate surge on electric vehicle charging behaviors: Evidence from California

Understanding the electric vehicle (EV) drivers’ behavioral response to the price of public charging services is crucial for optimizing the operation and government subsidy of charging stations. In this paper, we study the impact of public charging pricing policies on EV charging behaviors using a unique policy experiment that shifted the charging and parking rates of public EV charging stations in Palo Alto, California. Using detailed charging session-level data that tracks individual charging records and a Regression Discontinuity in Time (RDiT) design, our analysis generates three key findings. First, the switching from a free service to a $0.23 per kWh charging rate and $2 post-charging parking rate reduces the total number of charging events by 32.2%. Meanwhile, the average per-event charging volume and parking time decline by 20.5% and 72.3%, respectively. Second, the lower charging volume for a specific individual accounts for 35.1% of the overall decline, while the remaining is attributed to shifts in the composition of users. Third, a higher charging cost induces an increasing share of temporary users. Our results highlight the sensitivity and heterogeneity of EV charging behaviors with respect to the costs of public charging services and the potential distribution effects of pricing at public EV charging stations.