Date: May 7, 2024 PDF: 2.0 MB
The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) recognizes that the pace of electric vehicle (EV) adoption and charging infrastructure scaling will increase exponentially over the next several years. To build a robust and sustainable EV charging market, we must ensure it benefits both consumers and those companies who operate the equipment at their facilities. To know what will and won’t work, we need to know what drivers want and value and what existing site hosts have experienced through installation and operation.
For this reason, the Council commissioned Heart + Mind Strategies to conduct this study.
This research project followed an integrated approach to determine the current perceptions and behaviors of light duty EV drivers and charging station operators and site hosts. The methodology surveyed drivers (EV and non-EV) and business operators in the U.S. and interviewed EV charging station site hosts and operators in North America and Europe
According to the report, which conducted surveys of charging station site hosts and drivers, four of the five most preferred site amenities and services of EV drivers were related to safety, yet fewer than two-thirds of charging facilities surveyed offer these specific services to their customers.
The most important site features desired by EV drivers included:
- Multiple charging spots
- Open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week (provided by 52% of sites surveyed)
- Chargers located in a highly visible location (provided by 68% of sites surveyed)
- Bright lighting around charging units (provided by 56% of sites surveyed)
- Visible security cameras (provided by 65% of sites surveyed)
Charging station site hosts that offered these services, plus a playground for children, could potentially “activate” 94.2% of EV drivers to visit their site for their charging needs.
The study also evaluated the complexity site hosts experienced when they entered into the market, the business model they chose, the economic performance of charging stations relative to the host’s expectations, when business not currently offering charging expect to enter the market and why, how different categories of EV drivers use their vehicles and how they find, use and pay for public charging, and why non-EV drivers might or might not consider an EV for a future vehicle purchase.
Please fill out the form below to download the full report.
