Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolutional Networks for EV Charging Demand Forecasting Using Real-World Multi-Modal Data Integration
This work addresses challenges in EV infrastructure planning for sustainable mobility and grid stability, but it is incremental as it applies existing methods to a new domain with specific data.
The study tackled the problem of predicting electric vehicle charging demand in Tennessee using a spatio-temporal forecasting framework, achieving the best balance with mid-horizon (3-hour) forecasts where 1DCNN consistently outperformed other temporal models.
Transportation remains a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the urgency of transitioning toward sustainable alternatives such as electric vehicles (EVs). Yet, uneven spatial distribution and irregular utilization of charging infrastructure create challenges for both power grid stability and investment planning. This study introduces TW-GCN, a spatio-temporal forecasting framework that combines Graph Convolutional Networks with temporal architectures to predict EV charging demand in Tennessee, United States (U.S.). We utilize real-world traffic flows, weather conditions, and proprietary data provided by one of the largest EV infrastructure company in the U.S. to capture both spatial dependencies and temporal dynamics. Extensive experiments across varying lag horizons, clustering strategies, and sequence lengths reveal that mid-horizon (3-hour) forecasts achieve the best balance between responsiveness and stability, with 1DCNN consistently outperforming other temporal models. Regional analysis shows disparities in predictive accuracy across East, Middle, and West Tennessee, reflecting how station density, population, and local demand variability shape model performance. The proposed TW-GCN framework advances the integration of data-driven intelligence into EV infrastructure planning, supporting both sustainable mobility transitions and resilient grid management.