J.D. Power: Home charging satisfaction declines on high cost, slow speed

Electric vehicle owners' satisfaction with the home charging experience declined last year because of high costs of charging, slow charging speed and limited charging education, J.D. Power said Thursday.

More than two-thirds of EV owners use a mounted Level 2 home charger, and their satisfaction with charging declined 12 points last year to 740 on a 1,000-point scale, according to J.D. Power's latest U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience Home Charging Study, now in its third year. EV owners who use a Level 1 or portable Level 2 charger also reported a decline in satisfaction.

A positive home charging experience is critical to EV satisfaction and adoption because 85 percent of regular EV charging is done at home, according to J.D. Power.

"Whether you're an automaker, dealer or utility company participating in the EV ecosystem, improving the EV owner experience with respect to home charging should be a common goal shared by all," Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power, said in a statement.

J.D. Power measured home charging satisfaction with Level 1, portable Level 2 and mounted Level 2 chargers across eight factors — cost of charging, charging speed, fairness of retail price, cord length, size of charger, ease of winding/storing cable, ease of use and reliability. The study, in collaboration with PlugShare, measures satisfaction with the home charging experience for battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Nearly 14,000 owners of 2017-23 model year EVs and plug-in hybrids participated in the study, fielded from December 2022 to February 2023.

There is little awareness around charger discounts, charger upgrades and managed charging, Gruber said. Satisfaction with charging cost fell more than 30 points from last year's study for EV owners with portable Level 2 and mounted Level 2 chargers.

Only half of owners said they were knowledgeable about utility company programs for charging at home, while half of those with home chargers did not schedule charging times to manage costs. Those who scheduled times were more satisfied with the overall home charging experience.

"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," Gruber said.

Customers with a Tesla charger are the most satisfied. Chargers by legacy auto brands, Ford and Chevrolet, have some of the lowest satisfaction scores. Owners with newer models — 2022 and 2023 model year EVs — are less satisfied with home charging speed than owners of 2020 and 2021 models.