Overall satisfaction in public electric vehicle (EV) chargers continues to decline, according to the latest J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Public Charging Study.
The new study certainly doesn't bode well for the growing electric vehicle industry, as researchers say the infrastructure hasn't kept up pace and if anything it's falling behind.
Though, as researchers note, and as we've reported, the recent move to open up Tesla SuperChargers to Ford, GM and Rivian EVs will help. (So, too, will a seven automaker deal to build a new charging network scheduled to start opening next summer.)
But in the here and now, public charging remains very much an issue. J.D. Power reports that even though the number of charging stations are increasing across the U.S., consumer satisfaction with Level 2 charging has declined to 617 (on a 1,000-point scale), which is a drop of 16 points from a year ago and the lowest level since the study began in 2021. DC (direct current)charging known as Fast Charging declined ever further - falling 20 points to 654.
Researchers say it's even more troubling that satisfaction in both charging station segments has declined in nearly every attribute measured in the study. They reason that since consumers are already skeptical about the lack of chargers, their poor performance could prove to be a hinderance when it comes to EV acceptance.
"The declining customer satisfaction scores for public charging should be concerning to automakers and, more broadly, to public charging stakeholders," said Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power. "The availability of public charging stations is still a critical obstacle, but it isn't the only one. EV owners continue to have issues with many aspects of public charging, as the cost and speed of charging and the availability of things to do while waiting for their vehicle to charge are the least satisfying aspects. At the same time, the reliability of public chargers continues to be a problem. The situation is stuck at a level where one of every five visits ends without charging, the majority of which are due to station outages."
Tesla owners are relatively satisfied with the Tesla Supercharger network (745), but when they go outside the network to use other public charging options, satisfaction declines by nearly 200 points (550).
“With greater adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS) pioneered by Tesla, it may provide a boost in fast-charging satisfaction among owners of EVs from other brands as they begin to use Tesla’s Supercharger stations,” Gruber said. “We’re monitoring whether the use of Tesla Superchargers by non-Tesla owners will affect satisfaction, but the move does help address charger scarcity and offer access to industry-leading reliable chargers. It’s just too early to tell if it can reach the satisfaction levels of Tesla owners who are already part of that fully integrated Tesla ecosystem.”
Following are key findings of the 2023 study as published in J.D. Power's press release:
"The results of this year's study should be very concerning to all those involved in the transition from gas-powered vehicles to electric vehicles," Gruber said. “Although the majority of EV charging occurs at home, public charging needs to provide a much better experience across the board—not just for the users of today, but also to alleviate the concerns of skeptical future customers. A lot of work is underway to address these issues but there is certainly much more work to be done.”
Tesla Supercharger ranks highest among DC fast chargers for a third consecutive year, with a score of 739. It is the only DC fast charger brand to rank above segment average.
This is the third year of the study which measures EV owners’ satisfaction with Level 2 charging stations and DC fast charger stations. Satisfaction is measured 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.
The study is a collaboration with PlugShare, the leading EV driver app maker and research firm. The study examines consumer attitudes, behaviors and satisfaction, setting the standard for benchmarking the overall experience of public EV charging. Study respondents included 15,079 owners of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The study was fielded from January through June 2023.
Photo credit: EVgo and General Motors.