Despite improvements in EV efficiency, battery life, and charging, one of the main issues the cars still have is charging. In a recent study of over 11,500 EV and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners, consumer research firm J.D. Power found that those who lived poor locations with a large concentration of EV owners found the charging infrastructure to be “inadequate and plagued with non-functioning stations.” Throughout its second year of polling EV owners, the organization asserts that satisfaction levels have declined in the intervening 12 months.
Public charging facilities, according to Brent Gruber, executive director of global automotive at J.D. Power, aren’t keeping up with the rising number of EV drivers. According to Gruber, “EV owners continue to deal with charging station equipment that is inoperable, not only is the availability of public charging still a barrier.” More stations should be built in “gaps” and along “heavy travel routes,” continued Gruber. He also required dependability from the new stations.
In contrast, customer satisfaction was highest in Midwest-area states with low EV ownership rates. The majority of owners who participated in the poll reported being “pretty content” with the way that charging works right now. However, individuals who weren’t happy appeared to share a lot of the same problems. According to the study, 20% of individuals who were polled chose not to charge their vehicle when using a public charging station. Due to “malfunctioning equipment” or the station “being out of operation,” the majority of people who departed without charging did so. Tesla level two and Tesla Supercharger stations consistently received the highest ratings from owners, while Volta and ChargePoint were second and third, respectively, in the level 2 station rankings.
