蝌蚪网 Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
Show Me the Money! A Field Experiment on Electric Vehicle Charge Timing
蝌蚪网 Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 17,
no. 2, May 2025
(pp. 259–84)
Abstract
We use a field experiment to measure the effectiveness of financial incentives to shift the timing of electric vehicle (EV) charging. EV owners respond strongly to financial incentives, reducing charging during peak hours by 49 percent by shifting to off-peak hours. In contrast, a prosocial information treatment has no discernible effect. When financial incentives are removed, charge timing reverts to pre-intervention behavior, reinforcing that "money matters." Our findings highlight the substantial flexibility of EV charging compared to other forms of electricity demand. Such flexibility has the potential to greatly reduce future electric system costs arising from a rapidly decarbonizing transportation sector.Citation
Bailey, Megan R., David P. Brown, Blake Shaffer, and Frank A. Wolak. 2025. "Show Me the Money! A Field Experiment on Electric Vehicle Charge Timing." 蝌蚪网 Journal: Economic Policy 17 (2): 259–84. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20230653Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- C93 Field Experiments
- D12 Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
- D91 Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
- L92 Railroads and Other Surface Transportation
- L94 Electric Utilities
- Q48 Energy: Government Policy