Spatial Diffusion and Neighboring Effects of Residential Electric Vehicle Charger Adoption

• In Event: Adoption of Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure: Policy Design and Effectiveness

Abstract

The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has accelerated globally as a strategy to reduce green-house gas emissions and to transit toward a low-carbon transportation system. However, a universal penetration of EVs is contingent on the widespread availability of supporting infrastructure, particularly the residential electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS), which accounts for about 83% of EV charging in the US (Global EV Outlook 2024, IEA). As a key enabler of EV usage, private adoption of EVCS can be influenced by a range of social, economic and policy factors, yet the patterns and mechanisms driving its adoption and diffusion remain poorly understood. This study investigates how a household’s decision to install a private EVCS is influenced by previous nearby adoptions, building on research that has identified spatial “peer effects” in other sustainable energy technologies like solar PVs (Graziano and Gillingham, 2015; Irwin, 2021).

In this research, we analyze a novel dataset of building permit applications for residential EVCS in California from 2013 to 2023. Our dataset includes detailed information about permit types, property characteristics, construction timelines, and precise geographical coordinates. Using a geostatistical approach, we construct spatiotemporal variables at the census block group level that account for both geographic proximity and timing of earlier EVCS adoptions. This methodology allows us to identify spatial neighbor effects while controlling for relevant built environment characteristics, demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Our panel data analysis provides clear evidence of spatial neighbor effects in residential EVCS adoption, one that diminishes over time and distance.  Specifically, our results indicate that an additional EVCS installation within 0.5 miles in the previous 6-months increases the number of residential EVSE installations in a block group by 0.08 on average. We also find a strong negative relationship between adoption and the share of renter-occupied dwellings.

This research contributes to understanding the diffusion mechanisms of clean energy technologies at the household level. The identification of neighborhood effects suggests that localized marketing campaigns in strategic areas could accelerate EVCS adoption through social spillovers. These findings have important implications for policymakers aiming to support the transition to electric vehicles by implementing measures that leverage such spatial neighbor effects to encourage the deployment of residential EV charging infrastructure.

Authors

• Lavan Teja Burra, Purdue University
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Shan ZHOU, Purdue University
  Presenting Author