An extension of AutoPacific’s renowned Future Attribute Demand Study (FADS), the EV Consumer Insights Study is comprised of licensed drivers aged 18 and older who reside in the United States and plan to acquire a new vehicle within the next three years. Their EV ownership, acceptance and rejection are gathered from a series of questions regarding their current vehicle and future purchase plans. “We’re excited about this study because it really digs into EV acceptance and rejection, yet also provides extremely useful insights that can help to build the reliable and enjoyable public charging infrastructure necessary for the future of EVs,” explains AutoPacific director of marketing and consumer insights Deborah Grieb.
42% of future EV considerers and intenders have concerns about finding safe and reliable charging on-the-go.
42% of future EV considerers and intenders have concerns about finding safe and reliable charging on-the-go.
Confidence in Public EV Charging Station Reliability and Safety Required
The study reveals that over 42% of consumers who plan to acquire, or will consider acquiring, an EV in the near future have concerns about finding reliable and safe charging on-the-go. Additionally, 41% of EV rejectors, those who will not consider acquiring an EV in the near future, say a lack of public charging infrastructure in their area is a reason for not considering going electric, ranking 3rd in rejection reasons behind the high cost of battery repair or replacement (49%) and concern about losing charge and being stranded (48%). Current EV owners, who are likely familiar with public charging station needs, mimic the concerns though at a lesser rate than non-owners with 30% naming finding reliable and safe on-the-go charging as concerns for EV ownership. “We’ve long said that the deployment of widespread and reliable public EV charging is at least as important as the EV products themselves and the data from our new EV Consumer Insights Study conclusively demonstrate this,” says AutoPacific's president and chief analyst, Ed Kim. “EVs have so many potential advantages, but ultimately they are irrelevant to consumers if they don’t have a way to quickly, safely, and reliably charge them while on the go.”
DC Fast Chargers Necessary for Widespread EV Implementation
According to the Department of Energy, there were close to 30,000 public DC fast charging stations in the United States at the beginning of 2023, and many more will be available in the next few years. However, AutoPacific notes that with the bulk of these chargers being in EV-friendly states like California, many parts of the U.S. are and will remain charging “deserts” for years to come, hampering EV adoption in those areas as well as discouraging long-distance travel in EVs. When asked about their concerns regarding EV ownership, 48% of future EV considerers and intenders and 36% of rejectors say they're concerned about charging times. “Couple concerns over finding a charging station with concerns over charging time and it's obvious that aggressive nationwide deployment of DC fast chargers is going to be instrumental in growing and maintaining EV ownership,” says Grieb.
Nearly 1/2 of future EV considerers and intenders, and 26% of owners are concerned about the amount of time it takes to charge an EV
Nearly 1/2 of future EV considerers and intenders, and 26% of owners are concerned about the amount of time it takes to charge an EV
It should be noted that the median time expected to charge a nearly empty battery to 80% using a DC fast charger is similar across the studied subgroups: 32 minutes from experienced owners and EV rejectors and 35 minutes from future considerers and intenders.
It remains to be seen if the auto industry’s recent moves to improve the state of public charging, most notably the adoption of the North American Charging Standard, as well as the newly formed automotive OEM consortium to promote more DC fast charger deployment, will sufficiently appease consumers’ concerns.