Electric vehicle charging as a monthly budget: portfolio preferences across working Americans

We examine electric vehicle (EV) charging location preferences by investigating how drivers allocate monthly charging sessions across home, workplace, and public locations. In contrast to earlier studies that treat charging location as a one-time, discrete choice, we examine preferences for combinations of all three locations over a monthly period. We employ a multiple discrete–continuous extreme value (MDCEV) model using stated preference data from 881 employed EV drivers across the United States. Results show that 88.9% of charging decisions involve multiple locations. Home charging is preferred overall, followed by workplace and public. Drivers with private driveways, single-family homes, or solar panels, as well as older adults have higher home charging preferences, though battery storage moderates the pull of solar toward home. Urban residents rely more on public charging, while workplace charging is highly price-elastic, offering employers a demand management lever. Our study underscores the importance of examining charging behavior as a portfolio allocation decision.