Electric vehicles are no longer limited to some body style or price point, and many companies, aside from Tesla, are poised to ramp up production to fill backlogs of demand.
But as a major shopping survey and resulting research has discovered, at least before most federal EV charging network Starting this year, there will be a problem-solving tool that can stem the tide of electric vehicle adoption. The slow rollout of public chargers is contributing to some electric car buyers deciding to fill up at the gas pump for a few more years.
The 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Considerations study, released on Thursday from auto survey giant JD Power found that 26% of new car buyers say they are “very likely” to consider buying. electric vehicles—up from 24% in the same survey a year ago. The percentage who said they were “likely” to buy an electric vehicle also increased two points, to 61%.
Electrify America EV Charger for Rocky Mountain Power Utility
Power says that while model availability has increased significantly over the past year, recharger availability has increased more modestly—13% year over year, compared with 33% during the closing period. ended last year. And it’s really been the problem-solver for many of these electric vehicle shoppers.
Specifically, Power found that 49% of shoppers chose the lack of charging stations as the main reason for rejecting electric vehicles. And those considering Tesla say charging station availability is a bigger reason to buy those models than other brands. Tesla drivers cover many miles annually in their electric vehicles compared to electric vehicles of other brands.
And no, the company has indicated that the problem isn’t with home charging—at least not by much.
“Most electric vehicle owners would say that charging is one of the biggest benefits of owning, because 85 percent of the work,” said Stuart Stropp, managing director of JD Power’s EV smarts division. This is done at home. “But it’s the special use case—such as a vacation trip—that is holding back shoppers.”
“The growth of public charging has not kept pace with the growing number of electric vehicles on the road,” Stropp said.
Ford Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning receive CATL LFP battery
There are some solid signs that shoppers are thinking differently about electric vehicles than they did a few years ago. Thanks to the popularity of longer-range electric vehicles, plus the perception of electric vehicle operating cost advantages, longer commutes now correspond to increased EV considerations—as it helps cut Fuel costs
This year’s study collected 8,136 consumer responses between February and May 2023 and included geographical, demographic, lifestyle and psychographic considerations, Power said.
The company points out that, as others have done before, that any personal experience with an EV greatly increases the likelihood that people will consider buying one. Those who merely drove one were twice as likely to consider one.
Just earlier this week, results from Ipsos suggested that Misconceptions about electric vehicle costs could also be a major reason it is seen as the declining interest in electric vehicles.
This year marks a massive increase in EV interest in plug-in hybrid drivers. Power says it sees PHEV drivers as “very likely” to see EVs increase by 11 percentage points this year—possibly stemming from the larger range of EVs already available.
GM EVs Get Tesla Supercharger Access By 2024
Recently both Ford And GM announced in recent weeks that they will be granting motorists access to top rated Tesla booster network starting early next year—with adapter and app functionality provided—and starting in 2025, some new electric vehicles from automakers may start with only the Tesla NACS port.
JD Power’s Stropp, in the company’s release, called the recent announcements “particularly remarkable.” Of course, it’s too early for the company to have any results as to how that availability will change attitudes.
Just earlier this spring, Power announced the results that customers refuse tram with higher speed than before—driven by both cost and availability. If the addition of Tesla’s expanded charging network is enough to turn those denials around, it could be a smart investment for GM and Ford.
