Financial Incentives to Shift Electric Vehicle Charging: Time-of-Use versus Managed

Last registered on July 28, 2023
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Financial Incentives to Shift Electric Vehicle Charging: Time-of-Use versus Managed
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011822
Initial registration date
July 21, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 28, 2023, 10:54 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
Erica Myers
Affiliation
University of Calgary
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Blake Shaffer
PI Affiliation
University of Calgary
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Megan Bailey
PI Affiliation
University of Calgary
Contact Investigator
PI Name
David Brown
PI Affiliation
University of Alberta
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Frank Wolak
PI Affiliation
Stanford University
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-01-17
End date
2024-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
electric vehicle managed charging, energy transition
JEL code(s)
L94, Q48, D12, Q58
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
As electric vehicle penetration increases it will stress the capacity of local distribution networks. This study is designed to assess the potential to shift electric vehicle (EV) charging times to reduce strain on the distribution system. We consider two approaches, 1) time of use pricing—offering a discount for individuals to charge in the off-peak hours and 2) managed charging—offering a per-kwh discount for consumers to let a 3rd party software to schedule charging times throughout the charging session to reduce the distribution network peak. We also assess individuals’ willingness to accept joining an incentive program for shifting charging and whether this varies with experience with managed charging.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bailey, Megan et al. 2023. "Financial Incentives to Shift Electric Vehicle Charging: Time-of-Use versus Managed." AEA RCT Registry. July 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11822-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Phase 2: The treatments will include: i) Time-of-use (TOU), monetary incentives (payments) based on kWh charged during "off-peak" hours and ii) Managed, monetary incentives (payments) based on kWh charged when the vehicle is available to have its charging managed centrally.

Phase 3: The treatment will be a one-time randomized incentive for participants to opt-in to an incentive program for shifting vehicle charging for a defined additional period (e.g. 6 months).
Intervention Start Date
2023-07-05
Intervention End Date
2024-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Phase 2: Distribution group hourly charge, distribution group daily peak/off peak/total charge, household and vehicle hourly charge, household and vehicle daily peak/off peak/total charge, distribution group violation indicator (hourly and daily) and violation magnitude by hour (in kWh), charge indicators for whether cars are plugged in (hourly and daily), distribution group transformer charging room (hourly and daily), compliance with treatment

Phase 3: Same as Phase 2 outcomes plus household-level indicator for whether it opts into the offered incentive program for shifting charging
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
We will also collect data on costs of distribution system upgrades and distribution network outages from the utility to quantify the benefits of shifting EV charging times.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Phase 1: Our utility partner will recruit willing customers to participate in the trial. This will be done through a media campaign, where willing customers can elect to participate in the trial. Participants will enroll in a 3rd party software that can monitor and managing EV charging.
Phase 2: Our utility partner and UCalgary/UAlberta researchers will randomize participants into treatment and control by distribution group. The treatments will include: i) Time-of-use (TOU), monetary incentives (payments) based on kWh charged during "off-peak" hours and ii) Managed, monetary incentives (payments) based on kWh charged when the vehicle is available to have its charging managed centrally.
Phase 3: All participants will be asked if they wish to opt-in to an incentive program for shifting charging for defined additional period (e.g. 6 months or a year) in exchange for a one-time financial reward. The utility partner and UCalgary/UAlberta will randomize financial incentives offered to households independent of Phase 2 treatment status.
All participants will receive a monetary payment ($150) for participating in the study, regardless of treatment or control group status. This payment will be 50% upfront, and 50% at the end.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Office computer
Randomization Unit
Phase 2: distribution group level randomization
Phase 3: household level randomization
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
20 (start of the study) to up to 28 (if additional vehicles enroll) distribution groups
Sample size: planned number of observations
The number of observations will vary by vehicle according to when they downloaded the app and enrolled in the trial. We anticipate 216-275 vehicles. Daily observations could be up to 714 per vehicle (17,136 hourly observations). These vehicles make up the 20-28 distribution groups
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Managed: 7 distribution groups (70 cars)
Time-of-Use: 7 distribution groups (70 cars)
Control: 8 distribution groups (76 cars)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
The Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB), University of Calgary
IRB Approval Date
2023-03-28
IRB Approval Number
REB22-1713
Analysis Plan