Public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, typically a barrier to adoption, is showing signs of improvement as overall satisfaction in the United States was up for a second consecutive quarter.
Data from J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Public Charging Study suggests the industry is on the right track, despite the many ongoing challenges. In a news release, the company said the number of public charging stations across the country has increased, though it still doesn’t match the rate of EV sales.
“While the customer satisfaction scores for public charging continue to prompt concern, the results offer reasons for optimism,” said Brent Gruber, Executive Director of EV practice at J.D. Power, in a statement. “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.”
Gruber also noted that, overall, the indices have improved for the past two quarters. This, he said, indicates progress in several areas that EV owners care about — including “the speed and availability of fast chargers and the convenience of having other things to do during longer Level 2 charging sessions.”
Satisfaction with DC (direct current) fast chargers jumped 10 points to 664, on a 1,000-point scale, from the same period in 2023. However, the increase is tempered by the fact that satisfaction with public Level 2 charging has dropped three points to 614. That’s lower than a year ago, even with the recent quarterly improvements.
Overall, satisfaction with charging speed varies by charger type, an issue for some. And non-charge visits, owners who visited a charger but were not able to charge their vehicle, remains an issue — although this has improved ever so slightly.
See the customer satisfaction index rankings below:
