Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Experiment

Last registered on September 20, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0012137
Initial registration date
September 17, 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
September 20, 2023, 10:58 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Italy
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Andrea Blasco
Affiliation
European Commission's JRC
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Stefano Tarantola
PI Affiliation
European Commision's JRC
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2023-09-18
End date
2023-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
Electric vehicles
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The main objective of this experiment is to gain insights into the behaviours and choices of electric car owners when presented with different incentive schemes for utilising a workplace charging station. Specifically, we study various configurations of a system of credits for charging electric cars at the PRISM charging station at the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC) in Ispra. PRISM is an experimental platform with multiple charging points, allowing JRC employees to charge their vehicles for free in exchange for anonymised data about their behaviours. Within this context, incentives are necessary to ensure an efficient and fair use of the stations at the workplace. By exploring diverse credit configurations and observing user responses, this study aims to enhance our understanding of how such incentive structures impact EV charging behaviours, user preferences, and the overall integration of electric vehicles into the daily commute.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Blasco, Andrea and Stefano Tarantola. 2023. "Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. September 20. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12137-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
For the next four weeks, we will implement the following changes in the credit system for users of the charging station.

Users receive 100 credits for electricity consumption to be spent within two weeks. This amount defines their maximum electricity consumption for the period. At the end of this period, unused credits reset, and the car owner's balance reverts to 100 credits.

Unlike the current setting, we introduce the following changes. First, the credit system operates with a two-tier approach: one low tier where each kWh costs the user one credit for the first 3 hours and a high tier where each additional hour above the 3-hour threshold costs the user 1.5, 2, or 2.5 credits, depending on the credit scheme assigned.

To investigate the elasticity of the demand for extra-hours charging, we will randomly assign users to three groups of varying costs: low, medium, and high. In the low-cost group, individuals pay 1.5 credits per kWh for any hour above the 3-hour threshold (3 to 6 hours). The medium-cost group pays 2.0 credits per kWh for any hour above the 3-hour threshold. The high-cost group pays 2.5 credits per kWh for any hour above the 3-hour threshold.

The assigned group is fixed for four weeks. Afterwards, we may switch users assigning them a different incentive scheme at random.

As normal on this platform, users incur a penalty for undue parking: Users lose one credit every 5 minutes after fully charged or exceeding the 6 hours allowed for the session.
Intervention Start Date
2023-09-18
Intervention End Date
2023-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
- **Outcome variables**: We will examine changes in consumption patterns for each individual before and after introducing the new rules. Our main output variables include electric consumption per session (in kWh or credits), session duration (total minutes), average cost per kWh (the average of electric consumption weighted by the credits spent), and penalties for undue parking.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
We will also collect data on the system's perceived costliness, efficiency, and flexibility from a user survey at the end of the first four weeks.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experiment consists of randomly sorting users into three main plans or treatment groups: high, low, and medium cost for electricity. Random assignment is stratified based on the level of electricity consumption before the intervention.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
The experiment consists of randomly sorting users into three main plans or treatment groups: high, low, and medium cost for electricity. We will stratify plan assignment by users' electricity consumption levels before the intervention: the top three users will be randomly assigned to either plan, then the second set of top users, and so on. We will consider the stratified assignment in assessing the treatment effects using multiple linear regression with indicator variables for each stratum.
Randomization Unit
The randomization unit is the user of the station.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
We "cluster" or stratify the experiment according to previous level of electricity consumption. We expect about 20-30 clusters.
Sample size: planned number of observations
100-120 users
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
30-40
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials