Research on the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of China's charging stations

New energy vehicles (NEVs) are pivotal for reducing emissions in the transportation sector, and charging facilities are fundamental to the sustainable growth of the NEV industry. To scientifically plan and optimize the development and layout of China's electric vehicle charging infrastructure, this paper analyzed the growth, spatial distribution and the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of EV charging station in China from 2009 to 2023 using the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model, geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model and the STIRPAT model. The main research conclusions are as follows: The growth trend of charging station is generally consistent with the growth trend of NEV, albeit with a certain time lag. The evolution of charging stations in China exhibits clear spatio-temporal differentiation patterns: In terms of spatial distribution, charging stations are concentrated in eastern coastal provinces; Regarding influencing factors, GDP has a much greater impact on charging stations than population and temperature. GDP has a larger influence in southern provinces compared to those in northern provinces, while temperature has a significantly higher impact on northern provinces than on southern provinces; Population has a greater influence in southwestern and northeastern provinces; However, from a spatiotemporal evolution perspective, population is the main driving force behind the annual growth of charging station. The spatiotemporal evolution of charging station in China have gradually shifted from being primarily policy-driven to being market-driven This study provides support for the optimization of the layout of China's charging infrastructure and the stable power grid load, which is great significance for promoting the development of green and low-carbon transportation in China.