Automakers are rolling out new EV models at lightning speed, but a recent study by JD Power shows that public charging infrastructure has a long way to go to catch up. The organization found that electric vehicle owners in high-yield areas struggle to find chargers that work, and notes that overall satisfaction with electric vehicle purchases depends on where live buyers. The organization polled 11,554 owners for the 2022 study from January to June 2022.
JD Power points out that there are more Tier 2 charging stations in the works than ever before, but people aren’t satisfied with them yet. The study used a 1,000-point scale to gauge satisfaction and found that sentiment around Level 2 chargers dropped 10 points to 633 by 2022. Satisfaction with DC fast chargers has not changed since from last year, remained stable at 674 points.
Read more: What does Level 1, Level 2 and DC (Level 3) fast charge mean?
Most people are fine with the ease of charging. JD Power achieves satisfaction with charging ease at 699 for Level 2 chargers and 745 for DC fast charger. As the organization notes, this shows that most people understand how to use EV chargers and can use them without significant difficulty. On the other side of the gratification trend, ratings for charging costs are much lower, at 446 for Level 2 and 473 for DC fast charging.
It’s no surprise that maintenance and operability play an important role in electric vehicle owner satisfaction. Being able to use a charger is just as important as having it in the first place. The study found that 20% of owners failed to charge during recent station visits, and noted that of those, 72% attributed it to an incorrect charger. In terms of toll booth companies, Tesla The destination charger leads with a score of 680. Volta is second and ChargePoint the third day.
Read more: EV charging guide | Things to know when buying an electric car
Owners also tend to have different experiences depending on where they live. States like California and others in the Pacific region offer more extensive infrastructure, so the ownership experience is better than states like Montana, where there are far fewer chargers. Interestingly, owner satisfaction is highest in the northwest-central region, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and others.
JD Power measures satisfaction with Level 2 and DC fast charging stations across 10 areas:
Easy to charge
Charging speed
Easy payment
Easy to find this location
The convenience of this location
Things to do while charging
How safe do you feel at this location
Availability of charger
Physical condition of the toll booth
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