2026 Call for Papers: 3rd Workshop on the Economics and Policy of Electric Transportation Charging Infrastructure

Reliable and available charging infrastructure is critical to decarbonizing the transportation sector through electrification. Additionally, the electric vehicle (EV) charging industry is projected by numerous industry analyses to grow to over $100 billion in value over the coming decade. The elimination of federal charging infrastructure tax credits and new tariffs will raise the cost of U.S. charging infrastructure and slow rollout, making it more important to make the most of charging investments. Fostering the growth of an efficient and equitable EV charging industry, especially in the face of a changing policy landscape, gives rise to many challenges for research.

The Harvard University Salata Institute and MIT CEEPR will host a workshop on the Economics and Policy of Electric Transportation Charging Infrastructure in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Thursday, October 22, and Friday, October 23, 2026. The workshop begins on Thursday afternoon and continues through Friday afternoon. The conference will be organized by Omar Asensio (Georgia Institute of Technology), Elaine Buckberg (Harvard Kennedy School), and Jing Li (Tufts University). The scientific review committee will also include Megan Bailey (University of Calgary) and Katalin Springel (HEC Montreal). A special session will be reserved for practitioners from leading organizations in EV charging to discuss data and research challenges.

The organizers are particularly interested in work that brings new data or insights to bear on economics and policy questions about EV charging infrastructure. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Where and how much are charging stations used? Where should charging stations be built?
• What is the new evidence on the quantitative effect of charging infrastructure availability on EV adoption and/or use?
• How are charging stations priced, and is the market for charging competitive?
• How can reliability in charging infrastructure be modeled and measured? What is the impact of charging infrastructure reliability on charging demand, electric vehicle miles traveled, and EV take-up? What are the effects of regulation on infrastructure reliability?
• How can open data about station locations and availability address drivers’ anxiety about range and congestion? How do drivers find charging stations, and what is the role of data availability in consumers’ choices about whether to purchase an EV and how much to drive it?
• What is the evidence on DCFC interconnection issues and DCFC rollout, and how should regulation and policy consider any network effects and other spillovers that may be present in this industry?
• How can interactions with the electricity infrastructure and sector be streamlined?
• What is the role of local policy in supporting EV charging infrastructure, and how does EV charging infrastructure support local communities?
• Do new data and experience allow better identification of the role of charging in EV purchasing?

Extended abstracts will be considered, but full drafts are preferred. Please submit at the link below by September 1, 2026. PhD students, post-doctoral scholars, early-career scholars, and researchers from under-represented groups are strongly encouraged to submit. Limited funds to cover travel and accommodations are available for presenters and discussants. The conference program and registration instructions will be available here on September 24, 2026. We also welcome attendance by all interested scholars, up to our room capacity constraints, and encourage you to register early.

Submission deadline: 11:59 PM Eastern Time, Monday, September 1, 2026