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Fueling Alternatives: Gas Station Choice and the Implications for Electric Charging

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  • Jackson Dorsey
  • Ashley Langer
  • Shaun McRae

Abstract

This paper quantifies the value of electric vehicle (EV) charging networks and the marginal value of network speed and density. We estimate a model of gasoline drivers' refueling preferences and simulate how these potential future EV drivers value refueling time under counterfactual charging networks. Drivers value refueling time at $19.73/hour. EV adopters with home charging receive $675 per vehicle in benefits from avoiding travel to gas stations, whereas refueling travel and waiting time costs $7,763 for drivers using public charging. Increasing network charging speed yields three times greater time savings than a proportional increase in station density.

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  • Jackson Dorsey & Ashley Langer & Shaun McRae, 2025. "Fueling Alternatives: Gas Station Choice and the Implications for Electric Charging," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 17(1), pages 362-400, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:17:y:2025:i:1:p:362-400
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20220130
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    Cited by:

    1. Grigolon, Laura & Park, Eunseong & Remmy, Kevin, 2024. "Fueling electrification: The impact of gas prices on hybrid car usage," ZEW Discussion Papers 24-017, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    2. Pascal Heid & Kevin Remmy & Mathias Reynaert, 2024. "Equilibrium Effects in Complementary Markets: Electric Vehicle Adoption and Electricity Pricing," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2024_615, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    3. Fournel, Jean-François, 2023. "Electric Vehicle Subsidies: Cost-Effectiveness and Emission Reductions," TSE Working Papers 23-1465, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Jun 2024.
    4. Arlt, Marie-Louise & Astier, Nicolas, 2023. "Do retail businesses have efficient incentives to invest in public charging stations for electric vehicles?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    5. Hanming Fang & Ming Li & Long Wang & Yang Yang, 2025. "High-Speed Rail and China’s Electric Vehicle Adoption Miracle," PIER Working Paper Archive 25-006, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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