Dive Brief:
- While electric vehicle owners face challenges with patchy public charging infrastructure, they are increasingly satisfied with the home charging experience, according to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Home Charging Study released in March.
- EV owners are much more satisfied with Level 2 chargers, both portable and mounted, than Level 1 portable chargers. Charging speed is the most significant factor contributing to the difference.
- “Home charging is the most satisfying aspect of owning an EV, which is why all parties in the EV ecosystem need to take the necessary steps to ensure that residential charging is available for current and potential EV owners alike,” said Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power, in a press release.
Dive Insight:
Though home charging isn’t without problems — such as difficulties with Wi-Fi connectivity — the study found that EV owners are more satisfied with all home charging options than they were in 2023. J.D. Power surveyed 15,617 owners of pure EVs and plug-in hybrids from model years 2018 through 2024.
According to the survey, EV owners are most satisfied with Tesla’s Level 2 permanently mounted charging stations, followed by Emporia and GRIZZL-E Level 2 mounted charging stations. Level 2 chargers, which use 240-volt electrical outlets, charge vehicles much faster than Level 1 chargers, which use standard 120-volt outlets. Of EV owners who utilize home charging, 84% use either portable or mounted Level 2 chargers.
The survey measured customer satisfaction via customer perspectives on the fairness of the price of the charger, the length of the charger cord, the size of the charger, the ease of storing the cable, the cost of charging itself, the charging speed, ease of use of the charger and charger reliability.
Utility company incentive programs are often available to offset the cost of home charger installation or the cost of charging itself, “but too few EV shoppers are taking advantage of these offerings,” Gruber said. The study found that 49% of EV owners were unaware of any incentive programs offered by their utility companies. However, satisfaction with the cost of charging and the fairness of the charger price was higher for Level 2 charger owners who utilized financial incentive programs versus those who did not.
“The industry needs to do a much better job with consumer education and awareness” related to such programs, said Gruber.
