Should private charging-pile-sharing platforms cooperate with automotive companies under multiple heterogeneities?

To address the charging infrastructure challenges associated with slow electric vehicle (EV) industry growth, this study investigates the collaboration between private charging-pile-sharing platforms struggling with profitability and automotive companies. This collaboration is crucial, as it demands a balanced price and service quality management due to consumer expectations. This paper introduces a Stackelberg game model to explore the relationship between a charging platform and an automotive company. Through numerical analysis, we assess how this cooperation might improve the platform’s efficiency and benefit society, potentially overcoming existing industry hurdles. Our findings indicate that such partnerships could benefit all parties involved, despite possible negative environmental impacts. However, after collaborating, platforms may increase consumer prices and payments to suppliers, potentially lowering service quality for brand-associated consumers due to a compromise between shorter waiting times and service quality. This research offers valuable insights for stakeholders on the effects of cooperation, enabling better strategic decisions in the EV charging sector.