Poll Says EV Owners are Disappointed Despite the Increase in Public EV Chargers — Why is That?

Despite an increase in public charging in the US, JD Power's assessment of EV charging experiences, which used a 1,000-point scale, revealed that users are less satisfied with services.

JD Power's Analysis of EV Charging Experiences Showed Lower User Satisfaction

Damaged displays, malfunctioning chargers, and janky software are common problems with public EV charging. Much information is anecdotal, and it may be challenging to find an extensive study on EV charging in the US.

JD Power surveyed 11,554 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners for its second annual Public Charging Study from January to June 2022. EV owners complain despite a considerable rise in public EV charging in the US.

The market research company used a 1,000-point scale to gauge customer satisfaction with EV charging. According to respondents, using a Level 2 public charger is less satisfying than it was in 2021, with satisfaction falling to 633 from 643. However, at 674, customer satisfaction with the faster DC (direct current) fast charger sector is unchanged.

While locating a public charger has never been simpler, doing so that works is still a major challenge. According to the report, one in five people who found a public charger eventually decided against charging their car. And of those who didn't charge, 72% said that it was because the station was broken or unusable.

It's no surprise that Tesla is among the top manufacturers for customer satisfaction, with its Destination wall-mounted Level 2 chargers earning the highest rating (680 out of 1,000). With a score of 739, Tesla's Supercharger network is also the best among DC fast chargers.

Other EV charging businesses received less favorable reviews from car owners. Customers placed Volta (667) second after Tesla among Level 2 charging service providers, ChargePoint (639) third, and SemaConnect (557).

Electric Car Charging Industry Acquired More Than $4.8 Billion Investment

This year, the electric car charging market received more than $4.8 billion in investment via roll-out announcements, loan financing, assets, and acquisitions. And these are only the transactions that have provided financial information.

A few of the largest roll-outs this year are BP and Iberdrola's €1 billion ($1 billion) announcement for 11,000 fast chargers throughout Europe and Blackrock, Daimler Truck, and NextEra Energy Resources' $650 million investment across the US. For its US charging network, Electrify America also received an investment of $450 million from owners of Volkswagen and Siemens.

EV charging operator EVCS raised $69 million, fast-charging equipment maker Freewire raised $125 million, and French energy storage and EV charging company NW Storm raised $300 million. The major UK charging businesses have also been raising money like crazy, with Instavolt receiving debt financing for £110 million, Raw Charging raising $250 million, and Gridserv raising £200 million.

According to BloombergNEF projections, ultra-fast charging received more than 73% of the funding for the public chargers buried worldwide in 2021. The EV charging supply chain is drawing investment, even as the sub-sector continues dominating investor financing this year.

Investments have been made in slow-charging operators, software platforms, installers, charging component makers, and wireless charging businesses. To bridge their technical and geographic gaps, financiers and more prominent charging firms are scouring the EV-demanding market for the ideal components.