Domestic Electric Vehicle Charging: The Peak of Home Comfort and Manageability

In the latest J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Home Charging Study, Blink Charging has taken the top spot for Level 2 permanently mounted charging stations. The study, now in its fourth year and a collaboration with PlugShare, examines the home charging experience of EV owners across all three charger segments.

The study includes responses from 15,617 owners of 2018-2024 model year BEVs and PHEVs. Tesla ranks highest among Level 2 permanently mounted charging stations for a fourth consecutive year, with a score of 790. Emporia ranks second (764) and GRIZZL-E ranks third (761).

Charging speed is the most substantial differentiating factor of owner satisfaction between Level 1 and Level 2 chargers. Level 1 portable chargers have the lowest satisfaction for charging speed, while Level 2 permanently mounted charging stations continue to lead in this area. The gap between satisfaction with Level 1 portable chargers and Level 2 charging stations remains significant.

However, Level 1 portable chargers have seen the most significant increase in satisfaction (+20 points), indicating improvements in this segment. Level 2 permanently mounted home chargers and Level 2 portable charging stations have also seen increases in satisfaction (+4 and +2 respectively).

Educating owners on local utility programs is in the interest of both automakers and home charger manufacturers, as satisfaction is notably higher for cost of charging and fairness of retail price among Level 2 charger owners who use financial incentives for installation. Despite this, nearly half (49%) of EV owners are unaware of the programs offered by their electric utility.

The study sets the standard for benchmarking satisfaction with the critical attributes that affect the total or overall EV home charging experience for both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Satisfaction is measured across eight factors: fairness of retail price, cord length, size of charger, ease of winding/storing cable, cost of charging, charging speed, ease of use, and reliability.

Slower than normal charging speed is a particular problem with Level 1 portable chargers. The most common problem among all owners is that the internet or Wi-Fi connection either did not work or is difficult to use.

Bidirectional charging, which allows the vehicle to send energy for use by other devices in the home or potentially return to the grid, shows viability, with 35% of premium EV owners and 29% of mass market owners expressing interest in and willingness to pay extra for it.

Despite gains in overall satisfaction, electric vehicles (EV) in all three charging segments see year-over-year increases in overall problems among owners. The study does not mention any common problems specific to the Level 2 permanently mounted charging station segment or any significant year-over-year increases or decreases in satisfaction for this segment specifically.

The study was fielded from December 2023 through February 2024. The U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Home Charging Study, now in its fourth year, is a collaboration with PlugShare, the leading EV driver app maker and research firm. The study provides a comprehensive assessment of the owner experience and charger performance across the eight factors. The study only awards the Level 2 permanently mounted charging station segment this year.

In conclusion, the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Home Charging Study shows that overall satisfaction scores among owners of electric vehicles (EV) for home charging have increased year over year. However, improvements are still needed, particularly in the Level 1 portable charger segment, to ensure a satisfactory charging experience for all EV owners.