[Paper Review] Range Anxiety Among Battery Electric Vehicle Users: Both Distance and Waiting Time Matter

Jiyao Wang, Chunxi Huang+2 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jun 9, 2023

Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure4 citations

TL;DR

This study investigates time-related range anxiety in battery electric vehicle (BEV) users, revealing that charging wait times significantly influence driving decisions alongside traditional distance-based anxiety. Using a survey of 217 BEV users in China, the authors demonstrate that users balance both distance and waiting time when choosing charging stations, with regional and individual factors moderating this trade-off, offering insights for optimizing charging infrastructure and recommendation systems.

ABSTRACT

Range anxiety is a major concern of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) users or potential users. Previous work has explored the influential factors of distance-related range anxiety. However, time-related range anxiety has rarely been explored. The time cost when charging or waiting to charge the BEVs can negatively impact BEV users' experience. As a preliminary attempt, this survey study investigated time-related anxiety by observing BEV users' charging decisions in scenarios when both battery level and time cost are of concern. We collected and analyzed responses from 217 BEV users in mainland China. The results revealed that time-related anxiety exists and could affect users' charging decisions. Further, users' charging decisions can be a result of the trade-off between distance-related and time-related anxiety, and can be moderated by several external factors (e.g., regions and individual differences). The findings can support the optimization of charge station distribution and EV charge recommendation algorithms.

Motivation & Objective

• To explore the impact of time-related range anxiety—specifically charging wait times—on BEV users' decision-making.
• To examine how users trade off distance-related and time-related anxiety when selecting charging stations.
• To identify external factors such as region and individual differences that moderate charging behavior.
• To inform the design of optimized charge station distribution and EV charging recommendation algorithms.

Proposed method

• Conducted a survey with 217 BEV users across mainland China to collect data on charging behavior and anxiety levels.
• Collected responses on charging decisions under scenarios involving both battery level and time cost.
• Analyzed user behavior using statistical models to assess the influence of distance and waiting time on charging choices.
• Examined moderating effects of regional context and individual differences on the distance-time trade-off.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How do charging wait times influence BEV users' decisions when both battery level and time cost are factors?
• RQ2 To what extent do users trade off distance-related anxiety against time-related anxiety when choosing a charging station?
• RQ3 How do regional differences and individual characteristics moderate the relationship between distance, waiting time, and charging decisions?

Key findings

• Time-related range anxiety significantly affects BEV users' charging decisions, with waiting times acting as a key deterrent.
• Users consistently balance distance and waiting time, indicating a dual anxiety mechanism in charging behavior.
• Regional differences and individual characteristics such as age and driving experience moderate the extent of this trade-off.
• The study confirms that both distance and waiting time are critical factors in user satisfaction and adoption of BEVs.