DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13852045
title: Electric Vehicle Usage and Charging Analysis Dataset Across Seven Major Cities in China

description: Background 




This dataset provides supporting data for the figures presented in our study on electric vehicle (EV) usage and charging behavior across major Chinese cities. The detailed analysis and raw data are thoroughly described in Zhan et al (2025). The study examines 1.69 million EVs, representing 42% of China's total EV fleet, from November 2020 to October 2021. The study provides insights into operational demands, infrastructure requirements, and energy consumption patterns by analyzing diverse vehicle types—including private cars, taxis, buses, and special purpose vehicles (SPVs).   




The purpose of this dataset is to enable researchers who do not have access to the same raw data to replicate, calibrate, or extend our findings using the processed data that underpins each figure. This resource is valuable for further research on EV infrastructure planning, energy consumption, and vehicle performance. This dataset is made available to help the research community leverage our findings and facilitate advancements in electric vehicle research and infrastructure planning. Please refer to Zhan et al (2025) for full details on the methodology and analysis. 




 

Data description 




This dataset includes the processed data underlying each figure in Zhan et al (2025), covering various aspects of EV usage, battery capacity, and charging behavior across seven major Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chengdu, and Chongqing. The dataset is organized to correspond directly with the figures in the paper, facilitating its use for further analysis and model calibration. Each dataset is aligned with specific figures, providing essential data to help researchers without access to the original raw data. 




 

1. EV Type and Battery Energy Distribution Across Cities




Fig1a.Distribution of EV types across selected Chinese cities 




File: Fig1a.Distribution of EV types across selected Chinese cities.csv 




Description: Distribution of EV types across seven cities, detailing the share of different vehicle types. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











Beijing 









Distribution of EV types in Beijing 









Float 









% 











Shenzhen 









Distribution of EV types in Shenzhen 









Float 









% 











Shanghai 









Distribution of EV types in Shanghai 









Float 









% 











Guangzhou 









Distribution of EV types in Guangzhou 









Float 









% 











Chengdu 









Distribution of EV types in Chengdu 









Float 









% 











Chongqing 









Distribution of EV types in Chongqing 









Float 









% 











Nanjing 









Distribution of EV types in Nanjing 









Float 









% 











 




Fig1b.Distribution of battery energy by vehicle types 




File: Fig1b.Distribution of battery energy by vehicle types.csv 




Description: Distribution of battery energy across different vehicle types, represented as box plot statistics. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











type_2 









vehicle types 









String 









- 











Lower Whisker 









The battery energy corresponding to the Lower Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









kWh 











Q1 (25%) 









The 25th percentile value of battery energy. 









Float 









kWh 











Median (50%) 









The median value of battery energy. 









Float 









kWh 











Q3 (75%) 









The 75th percentile value of battery energy. 









Float 









kWh 











Upper Whisker 









The battery energy corresponding to the Upper Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









kWh 











 




2. Variations in Battery Energy




Fig1c.Variations of battery energy of buses  




File: Fig1c.Variations of battery energy of buses across studied cities.csv 




Description: Battery energy variations for buses across the studied cities. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











city_En 









English name of 7 Chinese city 









String 









- 











Lower Whisker 









The battery energy of buses corresponding to the Lower Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









kWh 











Q1 (25%) 









The 25th percentile value of battery energy of buses. 









Float 









kWh 











Median (50%) 









The median value of battery energy of buses. 









Float 









kWh 











Q3 (75%) 









The 75th percentile value of battery energy of buses. 









Float 









kWh 











Upper Whisker 









The battery energy of buses corresponding to the Upper Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









kWh 











 




Fig1d.Variations of battery energy of SPVs  




File: Fig1c.Variations of battery energy of SPVs across studied cities.csv 




Description: Battery energy variations for special purpose vehicles (SPVs) across cities. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











city_En 









English name of 7 Chinese city 









String 









- 











Lower Whisker 









The battery energy of SPVs corresponding to the Lower Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









kWh 











Q1 (25%) 









The 25th percentile value of battery energy of SPVs. 









Float 









kWh 











Median (50%) 









The median value of battery energy of SPVs. 









Float 









kWh 











Q3 (75%) 









The 75th percentile value of battery energy of SPVs. 









Float 









kWh 











Upper Whisker 









The battery energy of SPVs corresponding to the Upper Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









kWh 











 




3. Daily Driving Distance and Energy Consumption




Fig1e.Daily driving distance of different vehicle types 




File: Fig1e.Daily driving distance of different vehicle types.csv 




Description: Cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) of daily driving distances for various vehicle types. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











CDF Percentile 









CDF Percentile 




 









Integer 









% 











Private car 









The value of private car daily driving distance corresponding to CDF Percentile 









Float 









km 











Official car 









The value of official car daily driving distance corresponding to CDF Percentile 









Float 









km 











SPV 









The value of SPV daily driving distance corresponding to CDF Percentile 









Float 









km 











Rental car 









The value of rental car daily driving distance corresponding to CDF Percentile 









Float 









km 











Bus 









The value of bus daily driving distance corresponding to CDF Percentile 









Float 









km 











Taxi 









The value of taxi daily driving distance corresponding to CDF Percentile 









Float 









km 











 




Fig1f-1. Ratio of daily energy consumed over battery energy 




File: Fig1f-1.The ratio of daily energy consumed over battery energy.csv 




Description: Ratio of daily energy consumption relative to battery energy for each vehicle type. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











type_2 









vehicle types 









String 









- 











Lower Whisker 









The energy ratio corresponding to the Lower Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











Q1 (25%) 









The 25th percentile value of energy ratio. 









Float 









- 











Median (50%) 









The median value of energy ratio. 









Float 









- 











Q3 (75%) 









The 75th percentile value of energy ratio. 









Float 









- 











Upper Whisker 









The energy ratio corresponding to the Upper Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











 




Fig1f-2. Number of charging events per day




File: Fig1f-2.The number of charging events per day.csv 




Description: Data on the number of daily charging events across vehicle types. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











type_2 









vehicle types 









String 









- 











Lower Whisker 









The charging events per day corresponding to the Lower Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











Q1 (25%) 









The 25th percentile value of charging events per day. 









Float 









- 











Median (50%) 









The median value of charging events per day. 









Float 









- 











Q3 (75%) 









The 75th percentile value of charging events per day. 









Float 









- 











Upper Whisker 









The charging events per day corresponding to the Upper Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











 




4. EV Usage Patterns and State of Charge (SOC)




Fig2a.Daily usage patterns of EVs  




File: Fig2a.Daily usage patterns of EVs across different vehicle types and days.csv 




Description: Usage patterns of EVs by type and day, segmented into 15-minute intervals. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











Vehicle type_day type_state 









Take Private car_workday_driving as an example, it refers to the ratio of private cars parked to the total number of private cars on weekdays within a 15-minute period 









Float 









- 











 




Fig2b. SOC levels before and after charging 




File: Fig2b. SOC levels before and after charging by charging level by vehicle type.csv 




Description: SOC levels before and after charging events, classified by charging level and vehicle type. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











vehicle_SOC_P 









Take Private car_Start SOC_P1 as an example, it refers to SOC of private cars charging with P1 at the start of charging 









String 









- 











Lower Whisker 









The SOC corresponding to the Lower Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











Q1 (25%) 









The 25th percentile value of SOC. 









Float 









- 











Median (50%) 









The median value of SOC. 









Float 









- 











Q3 (75%) 









The 75th percentile value of SOC. 









Float 









- 











Upper Whisker 









The SOC corresponding to the Upper Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











 




5. Energy Consumption Rate (ECR) of Passenger Cars




Fig2c-top. ECR of passenger cars by month of the year 




File: Fig2c-top.Energy consumption rate (ECR) of passenger cars by month of the year.csv 




Description: Monthly ECR of passenger cars in different cities. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











Beijing 









ECR of passenger cars by month in Beijing 









Float 









kWh/100km 











Shenzhen 









ECR of passenger cars by month in Shenzhen 









Float 









kWh/100km 











Shanghai 









ECR of passenger cars by month in Shanghai 









Float 









kWh/100km 











Guangzhou 









ECR of passenger cars by month in Guangzhou 









Float 









kWh/100km 











Chengdu 









ECR of passenger cars by month in Chengdu 









Float 









kWh/100km 











Chongqing 









ECR of passenger cars by month in Chongqing 









Float 









kWh/100km 











Nanjing 









ECR of passenger cars by month in Nanjing 









Float 









kWh/100km 











 




Fig2c-bottom.ECR of passenger cars as a function of temperature 




File: Fig2c-bottom.ECR of passenger cars as a function of temperature.csv 




Description: Passenger vehicle ECR in relation to temperature across different cities. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











Temperature 









Temperature of a city in a certain month 









Float 









℃ 











ECR 









Average energy consumption rate of passenger cars of a city in a certain month 









Float 









kWh/100km 











 




6. Charging Events and Load Distribution




Fig3-1.Number of vehicles being charged by level by time of day 




File: Fig3-1.Number of vehicles being charged by level by time of day.csv 




Description: Number of vehicles charging at different power levels throughout the day. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











Vehicle type_P_day type 









Take Private car_P1_workday as an example, it refers to number of private cars being charged with P1 on weekdays within a 5-minute period 









Integer 









- 











 




Fig3-2.Daily charging load from electric vehicles  




File: Fig3-2.Daily charging load from electric vehicles across different vehicle types and power level.csv 




Description: Charging load data across vehicle types and power levels, aggregated by time of day. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











Vehicle type_P_day type 









Take Private car_P1_workday as an example, it refers to charging load of private cars being charged with P1 on weekdays within a 5-minute period 









Float 









- 











 




7. Spatial Distribution of Max Charging Power 




Fig4a. Annual maximum charging power within each hexagonal grid across Beijing, 4c Distributions of the three clusters of temporal charging profiles in Beijing, and 4d Share of clusters by city. 




FigS7-FigS12. Spatial distributions of charging power (kW): Max charging power and cluster distributions (City name). 




File: max_power_cluster_cities.shp 




Description: This dataset covers the maximum charging power distribution across seven Chinese cities, using H3 grids with Resolution 8 (~0.74 km²). 




Cluster 0, 1, and 2 are defined based on the temporal profiles of charging power in the grids.  






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











city 









Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chengdu, and Chongqing 









String 









- 











hex_id 









Hexagon ID of H3 system with Resolution 8. 









String 









- 











cluster_id 









This indicates the cluster index of each hexagon. 









Integer 









- 











max_power  









Maximum charging power. 









Float 









kW 











geometry 









Hexagons in EPSG: 4326 – WGS 84. 









Polygon 









- 











 




8. Temporal Patterns of Charging Power 




Fig 4b Three unique clusters of daily temporal patterns of charging power (all cities) 




File: clusters_tempo.csv 




Description: Temporal variations of charging power aggregated from all hexagons in each cluster. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











cluster_id 









This indicates the cluster index of each hexagon. 









Integer 









- 











t 









Hourly index (0-23) 









Integer 









- 











q25   









The 25th percentile value of charging power. 









Float 









kW 











q50 









The median value of charging power. 









Float 









kW 











q75 









The 75th percentile value of charging power. 









Float 









kW 











Type 









Weekday/Weekend. 









String 









- 











 




Supplementary Information: 




S1. Accuracy and Quality of Data Collection: GPS Measurement Accuracy 




FigSI1.Histogram of spatial errors in GPS Measurements 




File: FigSI1.Histogram of spatial errors in GPS Measurements.csv 




Description: Analysis of the accuracy of GPS data used in the study. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











Interval 









The interval of spatial error 









Float 









m 











Height 









The height of each column in the histogram 









Float 









- 











 




S2. Charging Behavior Analysis 




Empirical Distributions of Charger Power Delivered: 




FigSI2-1.Distributions of charger power delivered to cars 




File: FigSI2-1.Empirical distributions of charger power delivered to cars.csv 




Description: Analysis of the distribution of charger power for passenger cars. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











Interval 









The interval of charging power 









Float 









kW 











Height 









The height of each column in the histogram 









Float 









- 











 




FigSI2-2.Empirical distributions of charger power delivered to buses 




File: FigSI2-2.Empirical distributions of charger power delivered to buses.csv 




Description: Analysis of the distribution of charger power for buses.   






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











Interval 









The interval of charging power 









Float 









kW 











Height 









The height of each column in the histogram 









Float 









- 











 




FigSI2-3.Empirical distributions of charger power delivered to SPVs 




File: FigSI2-3.Empirical distributions of charger power delivered to SPVs.csv 




Description: Analysis of the distribution of charger power for special purpose vehicles (SPVs). 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











Interval 









The interval of charging power 









Float 









kW 











Height 









The height of each column in the histogram 









Float 









- 











 




Charging Power Preferences: 




FigSI3.Distribution of charging power level preferences among different EV types 




File: FigSI3.Distribution of charging power level preferences among different EV types.csv 




Description: Analysis of charging power level preferences for different EV types. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











P1 & P2 & P3 









The ratio of each EV type's number of P1 & P2 & P3 chargers to the total number of that EV type 









Float 









% 











P2 & P3 









The ratio of each EV type's number of P2 & P3 chargers to the total number of that EV type 









Float 









% 











P1 & P3 









The ratio of each EV type's number of P1 & P3 chargers to the total number of that EV type 









Float 









% 











P1 & P2 









The ratio of each EV type's number of P1 & P2 chargers to the total number of that EV type 









Float 









% 











P3 









The ratio of each EV type's number of P3 chargers to the total number of that EV type 









Float 









% 











P2 









The ratio of each EV type's number of P2 chargers to the total number of that EV type 









Float 









% 











P1 









The ratio of each EV type's number of P1 chargers to the total number of that EV type 









Float 









% 











 




Charging Event Durations 




FigSI4.Average duration (hr) of charging events by type of charging energy for different vehicle types 




File: Average duration (hr) of charging events by type of charging energy for different vehicle types.csv 




Description: Analysis of the average duration of charging events categorized by energy type. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











vehicle type_charging duration_P 









Take Private car_charging duration_P1 as an example, it refers to charging duration of private cars charging with P1 









String 









- 











Lower Whisker 









The charging duration corresponding to the Lower Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











Q1 (25%) 









The 25th percentile value of charging duration. 









Float 









- 











Median (50%) 









The median value of charging duration. 









Float 









- 











Q3 (75%) 









The 75th percentile value of charging duration. 









Float 









- 











Upper Whisker 









The charging duration corresponding to the Upper Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











 




Vehicle Usage Patterns and Energy Metrics 




FigSI5.Distributions of average daily driving distance by vehicle type 




File: FigSI5.Distributions of average daily driving distance by vehicle type.csv 




Description: Distribution analysis of daily driving distances across different vehicle types and cities. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











city_vehicle type 









Take Beijing_Private car as an example, it refers to average daily driving distance of private cars in Beijing 









String 









- 











Lower Whisker 









The average daily driving distance corresponding to the Lower Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











Q1 (25%) 









The 25th percentile value of average daily driving distance. 









Float 









- 











Median (50%) 









The median value of average daily driving distance. 









Float 









- 











Q3 (75%) 









The 75th percentile value of average daily driving distance. 









Float 









- 











Upper Whisker 









The average daily driving distance corresponding to the Upper Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











 




Battery Energy Distribution: 




FigSI6.Distributions of nominal battery energy by vehicle type 




File: FigSI6.Distributions of nominal battery energy by vehicle type.csv 




Description: Analysis of nominal battery energy distributions across vehicle types and cities. 






 










Column 









Description 









Data type 









Unit 











city_vehicle type 









Take Beijing_Private car as an example, it refers to nominal battery energy of private cars in Beijing 









String 









- 











Lower Whisker 









The nominal battery energy corresponding to the Lower Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









- 











Q1 (25%) 









The 25th percentile value of nominal battery energy. 









Float 









- 











Median (50%) 









The median value of nominal battery energy. 









Float 









- 











Q3 (75%) 









The 75th percentile value of nominal battery energy. 









Float 









- 











Upper Whisker 









The nominal battery energy corresponding to the Upper Whisker of the box plot. 









Float 









-