Even as electric vehicles account for a growing share of U.S. new-car sales, significant charging hurdles hold back interest, especially among renters and condo dwellers.
Home equipment, typically in an owner's garage or within easy driveway access, supports 84 percent of all EV charging in the U.S., according to a 2022 J.D. Power study.
But 36 percent of people live in multiunit dwellings such as apartment buildings and condominiums, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That mirrors the 34 percent of new-vehicle shoppers that J.D. Power found lack access to home charging.
Half of the EV rejectors in the J.D. Power survey cited lack of public charging as the deterrent, said Brent Gruber, the research firm's executive director of global automotive. An unrelated survey of car buyers by dealership software provider CDK Global that found 40 percent of EV shoppers would wait until they have a garage to purchase an EV.