Consumers are uneducated about home charging for electric cars, and that's holding back adoption, according to the J.D. Power 2021 EV Home Charging Study.
Brent Gruber, J.D. Power senior director of global automotive and author of the study, said in a statement that "the lack of awareness around charging options is making it very difficult to move toward mass-market adoption,"
Study respondents showed a "low level" of awareness of the different charging levels, including Level 1 and Level 2 AC and DC fast charging, Gruber said.
In addition, 47% of home owners with Level 1 charging installed were unaware of financial incentives for installation of Level 2 home-charging stations, the study found. Making EV drivers aware of options for upgrading to Level 2 charging is important because Level 1 really isn't adequate for frequent use or long trips, Gruber said, adding that owner satisfaction was appreciably higher with Level 2 home charging.
2016 BMW i8 with BMW Home Charger Connect charging station
The study reinforces what much previous research has said. Even as public charging networks have expanded, EV owners have stuck mostly to home charging, other studies have shown. One recent study even suggested that lack of Level 2 home charging was a big reason why one in five EV owners go back to gasoline.
A previous J.D. Power study also suggested that EV drivers are more satisfied with the experience when they have wall chargers, as opposed to mobile cords.
Tesla was the first to realize the importance of home charging as part of the EV ownership experience, but other automakers are beginning to acknowledge this as well. Outside of Tesla, Audi was one of the first brands to recognize the importance of home charging, with a program that used Amazon Home Services to help with installation and local electricians.
More recently, General Motors has announced that it will subsidize home-charger installation for buyers of the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV.
