Optimal Number of Charging Piles in Mall Parking Lots for Customer Attraction

Shopping mall parking lots offer ample space for EV charging infrastructure, helping alleviate charging shortages while attracting EV users and boosting customer traffic to mall businesses. Given the associated investment costs, optimizing charger allocation is crucial for mall operators. This study develops a utility-based model that accounts for user heterogeneity and shopping behavior, comparing the choice of charging at malls versus at home. Using user equilibrium principles, it analyzes charging demand distribution and formulates a profit maximization model integrating both charging and shopping revenues. Results show that increasing slow charger prices significantly reduces shopping revenue, whereas raising fast charger prices primarily affects charging revenue. However, lowering both prices simultaneously can maximize total profit. These findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing charger deployment and pricing strategies in mall parking facilities.