CHARGER EDUCATON. Charging is a significant piece of the EV ownership experience. Not enough is being done to educate potential EV owners about home and public charging options and proactively address their concerns. Because the EV ecosystem is so diverse—including groups ranging from electric utilities to automakers to nonprofits—coordinated and targeted education initiatives could help alleviate the anxiety that prevents many from enjoying the many benefits of EV ownership.
PRICE AND PAYMENT COMPLEXITIES. Some public EV chargers require drivers to download an app. Others demand a membership fee in addition to charges for the electricity that goes into the EV. There are also over 350 cost structures in place for public charging across the U.S. Potential EV owners may be dissuaded from a purchase when the seemingly simple act of refueling their vehicle is varied and hard to grasp.
VARIETY OF PUBLIC CHARGING OPTIONS. Driver uncertainty about the type of connectors available is just one of the concerns EV owners may have about public charging. Public chargers also vary in their charging speeds, and some are only available to drivers of EVs made by individual companies like Tesla and Rivian. This uncertainty lowers the confidence of prospective EV owners, who worry about refueling on road trips and when they forget to charge at home.
VARIETY OF AT-HOME CHARGING PRACTICES. Because 80% of EV charging takes place at a driver’s home, it is essential that all home types have charging options. This is not straightforward because optimized charging at an apartment complex, off-street parking, and other vehicle accommodations looks very different from single-family home charging.
CONNECTOR CONFUSION. Drivers of ICE vehicles never have to worry that the nozzles at a gas station won’t work to fuel their car or truck. The same is not true of the connectors that deliver electrons into EVs at public charging stations. Because there are four different connector types—and because the connectors are not interchangeable—EV drivers can’t be confident that they can charge at any station.
AVAILABILITY AND VISIBILITY. This is not enough to give confidence to everyone considering an EV purchase that they’ll be able to refuel no matter where they are. A lack of visible signage and charging locations away from heavily trafficked areas also contributes to worries that public charging is not sufficiently ubiquitous.
EV Charging Unfamiliarity
