automotive

Tesla Tops In Level 2 Home EV Chargers

Tesla ranks highest among Level 2 permanently mounted home charging stations, according to JD Power.

Most automakers do not offer branded Level 2 chargers. Grizzl-E chargers rank second and Emporia ranks third in the study.

The growing electric vehicle marketplace has encountered rising electricity rates due in part to the recent U.S. inflationary period, resulting in lower satisfaction with home charging, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience Home Charging Study released today. 

More than two-thirds (68%) of EV owners use a Level 2 permanently mounted station, but their overall satisfaction declines 12 points year over year to 740 (on a 1,000-point scale). 

While Level 2 portable and Level 2 permanently mounted charging stations are utilized by 83% of all users, their satisfaction with the cost of charging declines from the 2022 study by more than 30 points in each segment. 

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Also driving down overall satisfaction in the study is speed for all three home charging segments. The 2023 study finds that owners of 2022 and 2023 model EVs are less satisfied with their home charging speed than owners of 2021 model EVs and 2020 model EVs. 

Automakers, dealers and utility companies should share the goal of improving the EV home charging experience, says Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power. 

There are programs available today that will help EV owners with the startup costs, such as installing or upgrading to a faster Level 2 charger. There are also programs designed to save EV owners money with the ongoing costs of charging their vehicle, like scheduling to charge during the most affordable time of the day.

"However, J.D. Power sees that there is little awareness and utilization of these benefits,” Gruber says in a release. “As the EV marketplace continues to grow, brands that help owners take advantage of these offerings will be in a much better position down the road.” 

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. These factors provide a comprehensive assessment of the owner experience and charger performance.

As electricity rates increase, educating owners becomes more critical, per the study. Just 51% of EV owners say they are knowledgeable about utility company programs for charging their vehicle at home, which is up slightly from 49% a year ago. 

Scheduling charge time increases satisfaction. More than one-third (35%) of owners say they always schedule a time to charge their vehicle at home, while 49% do not use any scheduling. Among those choosing to schedule home charging via an app, satisfaction is highest when using the vehicle mobile app rather than the charger mobile app.

Geography also makes a difference with charging satisfaction, per the study. Overall satisfaction with Level 2 home charging is lower in all nine regions in this year’s study than a year ago, with New England having the largest decline. 

The study, now in its third year, is driven by a collaboration with PlugShare, an EV driver app maker and research firm.  Survey respondents for the study included 13,860 owners of 2017-2023 model year battery EVs and plugin hybrid EVs. The study was fielded from December 2022 through February 2023.

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