In the past few months, more than one study has found that while shoppers are warming up to EVs in general, one of the major sticking points for those consumers is the lack of charging infrastructure, as well as the reliability of existing chargers. Ford is well aware of this fact, which is precisely why it has worked to improve branding to cut down on confusion, joined the National Charging Experience Consortium, and just signed a deal with Tesla to grant Ford EV charging access for owners of Blue Oval models – a move that General Motors and Stellantis have since emulated. Now, the newly released J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration (EVC) Study shows precisely why that type of Ford EV charging agreement was needed in the first place.
This new study found that while automakers invest billions in electrification and buyer consideration is increasing, charging availability is not keeping pace and remains a big concern among consumers. Charger growth has slowed from 33 percent in 2022 to just 13 percent this year, while 49 percent of the people polled for this study – which totaled 8,136 consumers – said that a lack of charging station availability is their primary reason for not wanting to purchase an EV. This is nothing new, however, as charging infrastructure has been the number one concern among shoppers polled for this study since its inception in 2021.
“With all of these influences shaping today’s EV market, the biggest friction point for consideration is the availability of public chargers,” said Stewart Stropp, executive director of EV intelligence at J.D. Power. “The growth in public charging isn’t keeping pace with the rising number of EVs on the road. While owners are impressed by what automakers are offering, they’re also thinking about how, when, and where they’ll be able to charge their vehicles away from home. A resounding effort to build out and improve the public charging infrastructure will emphatically increase EV purchase consideration.”
“Most EV owners will say charging is one of the greatest benefits of ownership, because 85 percent of it is done at home,” Stropp added. “But it’s the exceptional use case – like a vacation road trip – that’s holding shoppers back. Proactively taking ownership of the public charging experience is a huge opportunity for automakers to differentiate. The recent announcements by Ford and GM to establish a charging collaboration with Tesla are particularly noteworthy.”
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Comments
I will continue to hesitate buying until: 1) public charging stations are plentiful & working. 2) full charging time equivalent to filling up with gasoline which will cause longer lines to recharge. 3) cost of public charging compares with gasoline. 4) not only does EV vehicles cost more to buy but additional cost must be added to update home electrical charging station which in return adds to your home electric bill.
Don’t forget your have to pay for gas. You get to stop paying the oil companies and instead pay your local utility. I was spending $50 – $70 per tank of gas for my Subaru Outback, maybe 3 – 4 tanks a month. Now I am spending about $150 per month to charge 4 EV’s at home (Tesla M3, Mach E. Subaru Solterra, and Chevy Bolt) and I live in CA. Plus no wasting time at the gas pump at least at once per week and when I charge on a road trip, I stop, plug in, and then go to the restroom, grab a snack or lunch. I kept track out long I spent total at the gas station or mini-mart. While pumping gas you can’t leave the car while pumping, with charging you can plug in and walk away. I have based the break even point on my investment and saving money.
There is all kinds of incentives from utilities, public agencies, etc. People forget their electric panels & breakers are not meant to last forever., they need periodic maintenance Breakers should be replaced about every 10 – 15 years. This is why businesses perform periodic maintenance on their panels, homeowers forget. Redidential panel failures occur at lot more often than commercial panels because of the lack of maintenance on the former.
Ironically, the places in the US where it is cheapest to charge an EV at home, are those that are most resistant to it.
Hi guys,
I have commented a number of times to share my experiences of Mach E ownership in Canada. Over two years in and still love the car. The public charging network in southern Ontario overall is improving but needs all levels of government to engage and support the “good equipment providers” with low cost loans or tax incentives. There needs to be a penalty structure for the bad players to get their act together in reliability and better customer support. One high profile charger network player up here has had 3 of the 5 different stations unable to DC fast charge my car over the last 24 months, shame on them. A second high profile provider has had 2 inoperative at the same turnpike location in the same 24 months (my experience only). My preferred DC recharge provider is big in Quebec where they began and are getting bigger here in Ontario. They also have recently begun deploying in Michigan. I have never had a bad experience at their locations and I bought one of their 220 volt home stations the day I bought my Mach E. It has been flawless and home charging (at night 7pm to 7am) costs me between $40 to $50 a month.
I support the agreements and pending availability of Tesla fast charge stations since they deployed big and extensively here long ago in public locations. Highway trips can be great and stress free when you plan reasonably for charging to coincide with meals, comfort stops and hotel stays. Ultimately, the growth and reliability of charging networks for highway travel is key to a better EV adoption rate and owner experience.
Alan:
Cost of public charging in general, even fast charging is somewhat cheaper than gasoline at current pricing.
Home charging is about 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of gasoline refueling in at least 2 seasons of the year (most of the country 3 seasons of the year).
Low mileage drivers can get by with any 110 volt outlet they find in their existing garage or carport – necessitating zero expense…. However with the purchase of a chevy Bolt ev, or EUV, or Cadillac Lyriq – GM with pay up to $1000 (chevy) or $1500 (cadillac) to install a ‘220 outlet’ for the included 220 cord included with the car.
I personally think that they shouldn’t be so generous and should lower the price of the car instead… For instance the FORD Mach-E no longer offers a free ‘220’ charging cord – in line with what Kia/Hundai and Tesla are doing – in that the provide no facilities for charging at all.
If purchasing an unfortunate electric that does not include ANYTHING, a 110 charging cord is available for about $140 on EBAY, and a perfectly fine 3800 watt charger (similar to a 220 window air conditioner load) may be purchased for under $200.
How many people will never buy an EV because their garage is filled with junk that they don’t want to clean out?