Working Papers

• "Plugging Into Driver Preferences: How Charging Station Prices and Characteristics Affect Electric Vehicle Drivers Charging Decisions" (Job Market Paper)

  Abstract: Vehicle manufacturers and governments across the U.S. employ various subsidies to promote the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). These subsidies develop networks of EV charging stations and subsidize the price consumers pay for charging. However, doing so sensibly is hampered by a poor understanding of EV drivers' demand for stations and charging. Using charging-session level data from the Evergy charging network in Kansas City, at a time when there was a discrete end to a charging price subsidy, I empirically analyze drivers' charging behavior. I find driver charging decreased 55% when the price subsidy ended, and station characteristics, such as the type of business near a station, play an important role in driver demand for stations. Counterfactual analysis indicates the charging price subsidy provided \$0.81 in value to drivers for every dollar spent on the subsidy and stations vary significantly in the value they provide to drivers. These findings suggest the need to account for the effects of station characteristics and charging price in future EV subsidy programs.

• "Does Electric Vehicle Station Density Affect Usage?"

  Abstract: The growth in electric vehicle (EV) adoption over the last decade has increased the need for EV charging stations. However, existing research on optimal charging station placement assumes EV drivers substitute between stations like drivers of gasoline vehicles even thought it take 4-12 hours to fully charge an EV. This paper uses transaction-level charging data from the Evergy charging network in Kansas City to analyze how drivers substitute across charging stations. I find, unlike gasoline stations, the density of stations in an area has no affect on station usage when there is an increase in charging price. Similarly, previous charging behavior has a much larger effect on driver substitution patterns than the distance between stations or the charging price. These results indicate differences in substitution patterns for gasoline and EV stations which should inform future station placement.

Current Research Projects

• "How Do Electric Vehicle Station Subsidies Affect New Station Construction?"

  Summary: Over the last decade there have been an increasing number of subsidy programs that encourage the adoption of electric vehicles. One common approach is through subsidizing the construction of electric vehicle charging stations, but it is unclear how much these subsidies induce new station construction. This paper finds that these subsidies increase the number of stations built in areas already experiencing EV adoption but do not have an effect on cities with low EV adoption.

• "How Does Private Development of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Affect Vehicle Demand?"

  Summary: Before 2019, Nissan incentivized the sale of their electric vehicles through the development of their own charging network and offered free charging to drivers who bought their vehicles. This project explores how Nissan's charging network affects demand for their vehicles in local areas by using zip code vehicle registrations data and the location and open date of stations on Nissan's charging network. This project will allow us to better understand the affects of private investment in charging and observe how charging near a driver's home affects EV adoption.