Smart charging of EVs: Would you share your data for money?

Many governments worldwide aim to eventually replace most combustion engines on the roads with electric vehicles (EVs). But this change causes an additional load on the electrical grid, especially if many EVs are charged simultaneously at peak times. Smart charging is a solution to better distribute the load throughout the day or night, while considering consumer preferences. For home charging, the idea is for EV users to always plug in their EVs when they are at home, and for the energy supplier to then decide when to charge which EV. By using (sensitive) consumer data, such as charging history, location of the smartphone and calendar information, the energy supplier can plan and optimize the charging of the EVs even better. In a survey, we seek to understand which of these data consumers are willing to share for smart charging, and what factors, such as privacy concerns and data sharing habits, influence this decision. Furthermore, in an experiment within the survey, we investigate whether consumers are more willing to share data if they receive monetary incentives. Our research design is based on the theoretical framework of Barth and de Jong (2017). 20 participants took part in the pretest, after which we adjusted the survey. We then shared the survey through various channels