Flexibility at a cost? Required price reductions in dynamic EV charging tariffs

Congestion at charging stations causes uneven infrastructure utilization and restricts user mobility, potentially slowing battery electric vehicle adoption. This study examines how dynamic pricing can make users more flexible in when, where, and how long they charge. Using a survey-based experiment, we quantify the price reductions needed to induce each type of flexibility. Among consistently price-responsive respondents, average required reductions were 23.8% for charging 1 km farther away, 24.5% for shifting from daytime to nighttime, and 29.7% for accepting doubled charging duration. Responsiveness varied with battery electric vehicle charging experience, mobility patterns, and socio-demographic characteristics. By testing a broad range of price incentives in a survey-based experiment, this study complements field experiment evidence and informs the design of targeted dynamic pricing schemes that improve charging infrastructure utilization while accounting for heterogeneous user preferences.