The adoption of EVs in the United States has been slowed by the lack of a sufficient public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, but that shortcoming is showing signs of improvement, according to a study from market data and analytics provider J.D. Power.
Overall satisfaction in the nation’s EV charging network increased for a second consecutive quarter, according to the organization’s “2024 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Public Charging Study.”
By the numbers, satisfaction with DC (direct current) fast chargers increased to 664 (on a 1,000-point scale), a 10-point increase from the same period in 2023. However, that rise is tempered by the finding that satisfaction with public Level 2 charging has declined to 614, which is 3 points lower than a year ago despite the recent quarterly improvements.
A significant factor in that improvement in satisfaction with DC fast chargers is the fact that non-Tesla owners can now access the Tesla Supercharger network. Previously, Tesla’s extensive network of its proprietary DC fast chargers was reserved exclusively for owners of Tesla vehicles.
But satisfaction with charging speed varies by charger type: EV owners seem to have less patience for Level 2 public charging, while simultaneously growing more satisfied with charging time at DC fast chargers. The attribute of speed of charging at Level 2 chargers has declined 4 points to 451 this year. EV owners are not especially happy with DC fast charger charge times either, but the attribute achieves a score of 622, up considerably from 588 in 2023.
The study was fielded from January through June of 2024, covering 9,605 owners of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The survey measured respondents’ satisfaction across 10 factors (in order of importance): ease of charging; speed of charging; physical condition of charging station; availability of chargers; convenience of this location; things to do while charging; how safe you feel at this location; ease of finding this location; cost of charging; and ease of payment.
“While the customer satisfaction scores for public charging continue to prompt concern, the results offer reasons for optimism,” Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power, said in a release. “Among users of Level 2 chargers, satisfaction improves in five of the 10 factors that make up overall satisfaction, and among DC fast charger users, satisfaction is up in six of the 10 categories. In addition, the overall indices have improved for the past two quarters. This indicates progress in many areas that EV owners care about, like the speed and availability of fast chargers and the convenience of having other things to do during longer Level 2 charging sessions.”
Despite that slow progress, the issue is a long way from being solved, since the number of public charging stations across the country continues to grow but hasn’t matched the rate of EV sales. Accordingly, the rise in the number of EVs per public charging station has contributed to a declining level of satisfaction with such chargers during the past several years.
