Identify mechanisms behind short‑run price responses in public EV charging

Determine which behavioral channels account for observed changes in public EV charging outcomes following posted time‑of‑use price changes, specifically whether reductions in station‑hour energy or occupancy arise from intraday retiming to other hours, switching to other public stations, substitution to home or workplace charging, or reductions in total charging demand, and establish the relative importance of these channels.

Background

The paper estimates short‑run, intraday responses of public EV charging outcomes to posted time‑of‑use prices in Shenzhen and Amsterdam, using station×day×hour data and high‑dimensional fixed effects. While robust associations are documented on extensive and intensive margins, the analysis is explicitly reduced‑form and does not observe user choices or alternative charging options.

Because the data lack user‑level information and do not track where charging shifts when prices change, the authors highlight that the mechanism—retiming, station switching, substitution to private charging, or actual demand reduction—cannot be identified with the present design. This unresolved mechanism question is central for operational and welfare interpretation of pricing effects.