Public Residential Charging of Electric Vehicles: an exploration of UK user preferences

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the preferences for private electric vehicle (EV) charging among households without a private residential charging option. We seek to understand which attributes of a residential neighbourhood charging service would offer an attractive substitute to charging an EV on private property overnight, as is most common among existing EV owners. Our stated choice experiment is designed to reflect preferences for parking as well as charging behaviour in order to ground the choices in trade-offs familiar to a target market representative of car drivers who are unlikely to be able to charge at home. Our findings suggest that this target population has different socio-demographic characteristics from the early adopters of EVs, and that therefore their priorities and preferences are different. Whether on-street or in a car park, the local environment in which the EV charging service sits and the experience of walking home after plugging in the vehicle is of primary importance. Some will also value the certainty of an available space over its convenience.

If the Government Pays for Full Home-Charger Installation, Would Affordable-Housing and Middle-Income Residents Buy Electric Vehicles?

“…Three Parking Enforcement Officers were asked in one study to identify the best streets for on-street recharging for people without driveways [83]. Of 2001 participants in a study in the UK who did not have a driveway or garage, 44% preferred on-street charging, and 56% wanted hub charging options, such as a car park [84]. The respondents also wanted a safe and attractive route to walk from their parked car to home.…”

A Literature Review on the Charging Behaviour of Private Electric Vehicles

“…At present, most studies investigating charging habits include only few social and demographic groups, excluding many potential users who may have different charging needs and attitudes. Further exploration is needed on the issue of different charging preferences based on gender [71,144]. Despite charging infrastructure manufacturers' efforts to make their systems compliant with the needs of disabled individuals, there has been no research (that the current authors are aware of) conducted on the charging needs and preferences of impaired people.…”

“…A pilot experiment on dedicated neighborhood charging [70] showed that potential EV users consider parking-combined and bookable charging options within the city to be of paramount importance, especially as parking is a problem common to both EV users and non-EV users. A survey of stated preferences without a private residential charging option found that the most important aspects of public charging are closely related to personal safety and proximity to one's home, especially if the service is used overnight [71].…”

“…Public charging infrastructure can be a valuable alternative for areas with limited home-charging options, particularly densely populated urban areas [31]. Personal safety and proximity to one's home are the most crucial factors in the replacement of private charging with public charging, particularly during nighttime usage [71]. Additionally, public charging infrastructures are used differently depending on their location [112].…”

“…Charging behaviors also depend on social and cultural frameworks and the topographical structure of the urban environment. According to research, personal safety, sociodemographic characteristics, and environment are relevant factors influencing the selection of charging infrastructure and the willingness to pay and walk [13,53,67,71].…”