Home EV Chargers Get Higher Scores

Home-charging of electric vehicles improved in consumers’ eyes over the past year in stark contrast with sentiment about the public charging experience, according to a J.D. Power study.

Level 1 and Level 2 portable chargers and mounted Level 2 home chargers all scored better this year, led by the first segment, which is up by 20 points.

Having adequate home-charging capability can go a long way in increasing EV ownership satisfaction, said J.D. Power Executive Director of the EV Practice Brent Gruber in a press release on the study findings.

“Incentives and programs are also available to offset the cost of charger installations, upgrades and management of ongoing charging costs, but too few EV shoppers are taking advantage of these offerings. The industry needs to do a much better job with consumer education and awareness, and dealers are certainly in the best position to fill that role at a local level.”

Satisfaction with Level 1 portable chargers, though it improved significantly, still significantly lags that for Level 2 portables and home mounted models, scoring just 581 on a 1,000-point scale compared to their 735 and 744 for them, respectively. The Level 1 portables’ charging speed contributed the most to its lower score.

Though satisfaction with all types improved this year, all presented more problems for consumers, the most common of which were connection problems or difficulty of use. Level 1 portables also has slower than normal charging speeds.

More than a third of study respondents who own premium EVs and 29% of mass-market owners said they’re interested in paying for bidirectional charging that allows EV battery energy to be used by other devices in their homes. Meanwhile, almost half of all EV owners said they were unaware of utility incentive programs for home chargers.

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Originally posted on Auto Dealer Today