Research on the pricing strategies of electric vehicle charging operators based on an evolutionary game model

Abstract

The differentiated pricing strategy of charging operators can guide the charging behaviour of electric vehicle (EV) users, which can not only make the charging operators obtain maximum profit but also make the EV charging service more efficient, thereby promoting the development of the EV industry. This study builds an evolutionary game model between EV users and charging operators in Shanghai, explores the interaction process between the two, simulates the evolutionary stable equilibrium and conducts the sensitivity analysis of the main factors affecting the equilibrium. The results show that there are two possible equilibrium states in this evolutionary game system: (1) choosing private charging piles and providing slow charging piles; (2) choosing shared charging piles and providing fast charging piles. The evolution of the game system is mainly affected by the prices of slow shared, fast shared and private charging piles. The price of the private charging pile significantly affects the strategy choice of EV users. In regions where the price of a private charging pile is low, charging operators can lower the prices of slow shared charging and fast shared charging piles, guiding more EV users to choose shared charging piles.