Does the public support the construction of battery swapping station for battery electric vehicles? - Data from Hangzhou, China

This paper presents a preliminary estimation of Hangzhou citizens’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the construction of battery swapping stations (BSSs) for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). This study also explored the factors that affect WTP.A total of 872 valid samples were obtained. As for the 202 families who refused to pay, the spike model was applied for data processing, The results showed that each family was willing to annually pay about 400.52 CNY to support the construction of BSS. The WTP is generally higher among families with an above-average income or among those who own BEVs and thus have an interest in BSS policy, as well as among interviewees who have experience or knowledge relating to BEVs or BSSs and believe that BSSs will improve the environment and provide convenient, efficient charging services to the public. Meanwhile, Theory of planned behaviour (TPB) also have a significant statistical relationship with the public's WTP. Therefore, decision-makers should consider formulating some policies that will help increase the public’s knowledge and experience relating to BSSs and BEVs. Furthermore, the publicity should be enhanced to raise the public’s awareness of policies. Finally, greater attention should be paid to the positive externality values of BSSs.