Are Recent Improvements in Public EV Charging Infrastructure Enough to Reverse Negative Consumer Perceptions? And What Will That Mean for Tesla?
E-Vision Intelligence Report
May 2024
Are Recent Improvements in Public EV Charging Infrastructure Enough to Reverse Negative Consumer Perceptions? And What Will That Mean for Tesla?
Key Findings
- Customer Satisfaction with Public Charging Infrastructure Surges in Q1 2024: Consistently, for the past four years, the top reason consumers cite for not considering an electric vehicle (EV) is lack of charging station availability, and bad experiences with out-of-service equipment, failed payment systems and difficult-to-access charger locations are the most common complaints of EV owners. That trend may be starting to shift, however, as customer satisfaction with public DC Fast Charging (DCFC) and public Level 2 charging networks has improved dramatically in the first quarter of 2024.
- Non-Tesla Public Charging Networks Lead Customer Satisfaction Improvement Trend: While Tesla has historically been the sole EV manufacturer to deliver a consistently positive public charging experience through its proprietary charging (Supercharger) network, the significant gains in customer satisfaction with public charging networks in the first quarter of 2024 are being driven by non-Tesla networks.
- Supercharger Network Central to Tesla Brand Appeal: The recent management upheaval within Tesla’s Supercharger team has put a spotlight on the importance of the network to the overall Tesla brand. According to JD Power data, the top five EV models for which “charging station availability” is cited as a primary driver of purchase consideration are all Teslas.
Executive Summary
Could the biggest stumbling block to widespread electric vehicle (EV) adoption soon be fading? Lack of charging station availability has been the number one reason provided by EV rejectors for the past four years and customer satisfaction with non-Tesla public charging networks has been trending down since the second quarter of 2022. Now, however, that trend seems to be changing course. How will that affect consumer perceptions of EVs and what does it mean for Tesla, which has been the lone bright spot in the U.S. public charging infrastructure?
This E-Vision Intelligence Report dives into key data points trending in each monthly EV Index update, along with other data points gathered from JD Power studies and pulse surveys, to spotlight emerging trends and important shifts in EV consumer sentiment.
Public Charging Customer Satisfaction Surges
Overall customer satisfaction with U.S. public charging infrastructure has climbed significantly in the first quarter of 2024. Customer satisfaction with DCFC charging is 663 (on a 1,000-point scale), which is up 16 points from Q4 2023, and customer satisfaction with Level 2 charging is 610, which is up 9 points from Q4 2023. These mark the largest quarter-over-quarter increases in satisfaction with public charging since JD Power began collecting this data in 2021.
Significant improvements are noted with the speed and ease of charging and the overall availability of chargers. Perhaps most importantly, though, the number of charging failures experienced due to station outages and equipment malfunctions has declined from 71% in Q4 2023 to 59% in Q1 2024.
Non-Tesla Charge Point Operators Drive Satisfaction Improvement
Notably, these quarterly improvements in DCFC customer satisfaction were not driven by the consistently strong performance of the Tesla Supercharger network. While Tesla’s network does still have the highest overall levels of customer satisfaction, its topline score has declined for the past two quarters. The big improvement in overall customer satisfaction in Q1 was driven by a 19-point quarterly gain for the non-Tesla DCFC networks.
How Important Are Consumer Perceptions of Public Charging Networks?
The rapid improvement in performance among non-Telsa charging networks, coupled with the recent management upheaval in Tesla’s Supercharger division, begs the questions: Can improvements in the non-Tesla charging infrastructure change consumers’ negative perceptions about public charging? And, what effect will that have on Tesla, a brand that has grown in lockstep with its Supercharger network?
To start the process of answering those questions, we point to two important pieces of data. First, there is the size and scale of the current U.S. public DCFC infrastructure. According to the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, there are currently 42,327 DCFC ports in the United States. Of those, 25,635 (61%) are Tesla Superchargers. Non-Tesla ports account for the remaining 39%. While Tesla is the clear leader in the DCFC charging game, Tesla’s share of the fast-charging market is not set in stone. By opening access to its North American Charging Standard (NACS) to other manufacturers, Tesla may see its overall share of the market decline. With the right level of investment in expansion and continued improvements in customer satisfaction, competitors such as Electrify America, ChargePoint and others could pose a real challenge to the Supercharger network.
The second important variable here is the critical role that the Supercharger network plays in overall Tesla brand appeal. Currently, the top five EV models for which “charging station availability” is cited as a primary driver of purchase consideration are all Tesla vehicles. Specifically, among vehicle shoppers considering a Tesla Model Y, 36.4% have listed “charging station availability” as one of their top five reasons for considering that specific vehicle. That trend continues for shoppers considering the Cybertruck (32.8%), Model 3 (32.2%), Model X (28.5%) and Model S (27.2%). Should Tesla’s Supercharger network experience a significant setback or increased competition from challenger brands, it could have a significant effect on a core component of the brand’s value proposition.
Methodology
This JD Power E-Vision Intelligence Report is based on data and insights from the JD Power EV Index, the JD Power EV Retail Share Forecast, the JD Power 2024 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study, the JD Power 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Public Charging Study and the JD Power U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration (EVC) Study.
The JD Power EV Index is an analytics tool to benchmark the growing EV market in the United States. It tracks millions of data points aggregated into six categories—interest, availability, adoption, affordability, infrastructure and experience—to evaluate the progress to parity of EVs with gas-powered vehicles in the U.S. Each month, the JD Power electric vehicle practice will analyze these data points, and others to spotlight emerging trends and important shifts in consumer sentiment that are helping to define the fast-moving EV marketplace.
Find out More
This report was authored by Elizabeth Krear, vice president, electric vehicle practice; Brent Gruber, executive director, electric vehicle practice; Stewart Stropp, executive director, electric vehicle practice; and Kristen Richter, senior manager, electric vehicle practice. The JD Power E-Vision initiative is a company-wide program focused on maximizing JD Power industry-leading EV data, analytics, insights and solutions. Please contact us at the numbers below to connect with the authors or to learn more about the underlying research.
Media Contacts
Shane Smith; East Coast; 424-903-3665; [email protected]
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]