EV owners unsatisfied with public charging experience, J.D. Power study finds

According to findings in a recent study by J.D. Power, electric vehicle owners are struggling to find adequate and operable charging stations, especially in high-volume EV markets like California, Texas, and Washington. The study says the growth of electric vehicle sales during the past year has added stress to the public vehicle charging infrastructure. 

The study measures EV owners’ satisfaction with both level 2 charging stations and DC fast charger stations. Results show that most owners are relatively satisfied with the ease of charging, but operability and maintenance remain key issues. As far as availability, satisfaction varies greatly by region. 

Tesla ranked highest among level 2 charging stations, Volta came in second, and ChargePoint ranked third. The Tesla supercharger ranked the highest among DC fast chargers, the only brand to rank above the industry average.  

Brent Gruber, the Executive Director of Global Automotive at J.D. Power, said “Public charging continues to provide challenges to overall EV adoption and current EV owners alike. Not only is the availability of public charging still an obstacle, but EV owners continue to be faced with charging station equipment that is inoperable.”   

Gruber went on to say that The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program will provide funds to states for building out their EV public charging infrastructure, leading to sizable growth in the availability of EV charging stations. He also noted that improvements must be focused on heavily traveled routes, high-density areas, and maintenance.  

Did you enjoy this article? Please share your thoughts, comments, or questions regarding this topic by connecting with us at newsroom@cbtnews.com.