Even though many Americans are heading to a car dealership to look at their first EV model, there are plenty more who are far more hesitant about buying an EV. Meanwhile, automakers have gone all in and spent massive amounts of money to bring new EV models to the market. One of the biggest obstacles for EV-hesitant consumers is the weak charging network.
A Looming Problem
Despite the grand plans of the auto industry to release increasing numbers of EV models in the upcoming years, there’s a looming problem. The money being spent has reached incredible numbers. Ford alone expects to spend over $50 billion through 2026 to bring more EVs to market around the world. General Motors is planning to spend over $35 billion through 2025, and Volkswagen is planning to spend an eye-popping $200 billion on EVs through 2028.
These aren’t small numbers, but the demand from Americans doesn’t seem to be matching the excitement of the auto industry. The biggest concern is charging. Surveys keep showing that Americans are worried about charging their potential EV purchase. Specifically, they’re concerned about being on a road trip and being unable to find a place to charge.
Recent stories have further illustrated this problem with drivers heading out on a trip with their EVs, only to find that there aren’t enough charging stations.
Lack Of Charging Stations
According to most surveys, the two biggest obstacles to buying an EV at a car dealership are the lack of charging stations and the purchase price. The purchase price of EV models in general has started to come down. There are several brands offering pretty affordable prices. However, charging logistics continues to be a problem.
The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted a study that found nearly half of American adults said they likely would not buy an EV for their next vehicle. Nearly 80% of this number said charging was a big factor.
The auto industry has taken some steps to address the issue. Rival automakers have even teamed up to figure out a single charging standard to make charging more universal and make it easier on EV drivers.
Why Charging Is A Problem
Most EV owners charge their vehicles at home, but that doesn’t work for everyone. Some EV drivers need to charge their vehicles at work or while out shopping. Public chargers are sometimes called destination chargers and charge similarly to home chargers by adding roughly 35 hours of range per hour. These are fine if you plan to park for a while, but this doesn’t always work in a road trip situation.
Fast chargers are necessary to charge an EV about 80% in about half an hour. It’s usually cheaper than a tank of gas, but obviously takes more time. Right now, most of the public fast chargers out there are Tesla Superchargers.
Unfortunately, if you don’t drive a Tesla, it’s far more difficult to find a dependable amount of fast chargers for public charging. This is where Tesla has stepped up to open its network to other automakers. A single charging standard would change the EV landscape drastically and perhaps motivate more Americans to visit a car dealership for their first EV.
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