The latest study from J.D. Power confirms that no one comes close to beating Tesla’s public charging network.
Tesla has been the market leader when it comes to public EV charging experience for a long time now. The latest J.D. Power study mentions that it has carried on that legacy this year as well. This is valid for both its charging divisions – Tesla Destination and Tesla Supercharger. These rank at the top among Level 2 charging stations and DC fast chargers, respectively. In fact, the latter is the only DC fast charger brand which ranks above the segment average.
You might also like: Tesla Cybertruck Now Available In Canada And Mexico
Tesla Public EV Charging Experience
The result of this study informs us that Tesla Destination received 658 points out of 1,000. Volta (645) and ChargePoint (626) followed in the second and third spots, respectively. On the other hand, the Tesla Supercharger secured an astounding 731 points, the highest for the fourth consecutive year. This is shocking since the second brand, ChargePoint is over 100 points lower at 627. The segment average is 664. EVgo and Electrify America followed with 566 and 559 points, respectively.
In addition to that, EV owners were better satisfied with the automatic payment methods too in comparison to ICE car owners. Systems like Plug & Charge allow EVs to connect to a charger and commence charging instantly after authenticating the vehicle and connecting it directly to billing. The traditional ICE car owners would have to use credit or debit cards to pay for the gas. Hence, the satisfaction score was 886 for ease of payment and 806 for ease of charging. On the contrary, EV owners who use credit or debit cards were rated 631 for ease of use and 596 for ease of charging.
Brent Gruber, Executive Director of the EV practice at J.D. Power said, “The study shows that not only are fast charging sessions that utilize automatic payment systems more satisfying, but those sessions are also expedited by the streamlined process, saving EV owners precious time. Fast charging sessions utilizing automatic payment systems average 27 minutes in length, eight minutes faster than the extra steps required to pay with a credit or debit card, and seven minutes faster than third-party or charge point operator apps.”
Interestingly, Tesla owners were satisfied with the Supercharging network, scoring 743 points. However, non-Tesla users were slightly less satisfied with the Supercharging network as indicated by 706 points. We know that many non-Tesla EVs can now utilize the Supercharging network. Tesla offers virtually automatic plug-and-pay ability to Tesla EV owners. Unfortunately, this is not available for non-Tesla EV owners just yet. Also, the latter needs to use an adapter to charge at Tesla charging stations.
You might also like: No, Wrapping Wet Towel Around Supercharger Is Not The Solution
Learn Electric Cars Says
Tesla has been the pioneer when it comes to public EV charging experience for a long time now. To see that its infrastructure is miles ahead of everyone else is a testament to the fact that it has made conscious efforts to achieve this. We know that charging is the critical hurdle potential EV buyers struggle with. Arguably, it could be the single biggest reason that mass EV adoption is still not a reality. Perhaps, other car marques could learn a few things from the largest EV maker in the world. I am certain that with time, things will improve.