Automakers are cranking out new EV models at lightning speed, but a recent J.D. Power study shows that the public charging infrastructure has a long way to go to catch up. The organization found that EV owners in high-volume areas struggle with finding a working charger and noted that overall satisfaction with EV purchases depends on where the buyer lives. The organization polled 11,554 owners for the 2022 study between January and June 2022.<\/p>\n
J.D. Power points out that there are more Level 2 charging stations in operation than ever, but people are less satisfied with them. The study used a 1,000-point scale to judge satisfaction and found that sentiment around Level 2 chargers dropped 10 points to 633 in 2022.\u00a0 Satisfaction with DC fast chargers has not changed since last year, remaining steady at 674 points.<\/p>\n
Read more: What do Level 1, Level 2 and DC fast charging (Level 3) mean?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Most people are fine with the ease of charging. J.D. Power scored satisfaction with the ease of charging at 699 for Level 2 chargers and 745<\/a> for DC fast chargers. As the organization notes, this shows that most people understand how to use EV chargers and can use them without significant difficulty. On the flip side of the satisfaction coin, ratings for the cost of charging are much lower, at 446 for Level 2 and 473 for DC fast charging.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, maintenance and operability play significant roles in EV owners\u2019 satisfaction. Being able to use a charger is just as important as there being a charger in the first place. The study found that 20% of owners did not charge during recent visits to a station, and notes that of those people, 72% indicated that it was because the charger wasn\u2019t working correctly. In terms of charging station companies, Tesla<\/a> Destination chargers led the way with a score of 680. Volta came in second and ChargePoint<\/a> third.\u00a0<\/p>\n