Tesla and Volta are the top choices for EV owners when it comes to charging away from home.

Key Points

• According to J.D. Power’s first-ever study of electric car charging providers, U.S. EV drivers are disappointed by a lack of alternatives.
• The 2021 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging Study discovered that EV owners were most frequently irritated by out-of-service chargers and long lineups where they did have access to public charging stations.

In J.D. Power’s first-ever study of electric vehicle charging choices for U.S. drivers of plug-in hybrids and battery-electrics away from home, Tesla, Volta, and ChargePoint stations topped the list.

From January through June, the global analytics firm questioned 6,647 owners of battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars for its 2021 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging Study. It stated that while public charging access varies by location in the United States, it remains one of the least gratifying parts of owning an electric vehicle.

Clients were asked about the comfort of use, charging speed, charging cost, payment ease, how easy it was to find a charging station, the convenience and cleanliness of each location, activities to do while charging, how comfortable they felt at a certain public charging place, and whether or not chargers were accessible when required

According to the poll, EV owners in the United States are disappointed by a lack of alternatives. Where EV owners did have access to public charging stations, they were most commonly annoyed by out-of-service chargers and long lines, according to the poll.in

Tesla’s level 2 Destination charging stations and DC fast-charging Superchargers ranked top in overall satisfaction among electric car owners.

Tesla Destination chargers, which may be found in areas such as hotel parking lots, were designed particularly for Tesla customers. However, owners of other electric car manufacturers may be able to utilize them with a specific adaptor in some situations.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that the company wants to make all of its charging stations available to owners of rival electric vehicle brands. However, the business has not stated how many of them will be opened in the United States or by what date.

Volta charging stations came in second place after Tesla in the survey’s slower category of level 2 chargers.

Volta chargers are available in the United States for all major plug-in hybrid and battery electric car models. The firm places its chargers in shopping malls and other commercial and tourism areas. Each has a digital display for advertising and branding initiatives. Volta typically gives free charging for cars while they park and shop because they are ad-supported.

Tortoise Acquisitions Corp. II and Volta want to merge in a deal worth more than $2 billion to the merged firm.

The United States has 43,514 electric car charging sites, with 105,671 individual DC fast-charging and slower, level-2 charging outlets, according to statistics gathered by the Department of Energy.

ChargePoint ranked second in terms of DC fast-charging options on the road, behind only Tesla, and third in terms of level 2 charging, trailing only Volta’s free charging service.

In March, the firm went public on the New York Stock Exchange through a special purpose acquisition corporation deal, and since then it has been purchasing more EV charging businesses in order to expand in Europe and North America. Electric car usage is expected to increase on both continents, and electric vehicle charging firms in the United States may benefit from federal and state subsidies.

According to AlixPartners, $50 billion will be required to establish a nationwide charging network to handle the projected rise of EVs in the United States by 2030. Furthermore, President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package may support the installation of $7.5 billion in charging stations around the country.