Photo: Rivian
People used to mention high prices, limited range, and long charging times as their biggest fears when considering an electric vehicle. However, things have changed, and EV drivers' biggest fear now is not finding a free spot when arriving at a charging station. According to a recent study, 75% of EV owners arrived at a charging station to see all spots occupied at least once.
There was a time when people refused to even consider buying an electric vehicle because they were afraid to run out of battery during a road trip. Range anxiety, as it became known, has been speculated by legacy carmakers that promoted plug-in hybrids as the best of both worlds. Plug-in hybrids could be charged like an EV and drive on battery power for a while (usually 30 miles/50 km), but they could also go the distance using the combustion engine.
However, recent studies showed that most PHEV owners rarely charge their cars, turning them into expensive and polluting hybrids. In the meantime, as more people experience electric vehicles, the initial fears have been replaced with new ones. Running out of charge is almost impossible in an electric vehicle unless you deliberately ignore the car's computer recommendations and warnings. Instead, being unable to charge when your battery is running low has become EV owners' biggest fear.
A Quantum Research Group survey commissioned by Ideal Power showed that EV owners still experience range anxiety, especially on long trips and in unfamiliar areas. However, only 9% of those questioned said they experienced range anxiety often. Another 29% admitted that they sometimes felt range anxiety, while 44% rarely felt that. A much smaller percentage (18%) said they never felt range anxiety.
Range anxiety includes several fears, but the biggest was arriving at a charging station and not finding an available charging spot. About 51% of all EV drivers experienced this fear, surpassing long charging times (47%), lack of nearby charging stations (46%), and malfunctioning equipment (39%). These fears were undoubtedly fueled by the fact that 38% of drivers have arrived at a charging station to find all spots occupied several times, with another 37% experiencing this at least once.
Thankfully, waiting times at a charging station are not an issue, with 29% of EV owners saying they never had to wait for a charging spot at a public station. Many people (48% of those questioned) said they had to wait less than 15 minutes on average, while 15% said they had to wait between 15 and 30 minutes. The unluckiest 8% confessed they waited more than 30 minutes on average to charge their EV.
This must be annoying because the study discovered that a large number of EV owners (42 percent) would be willing to pay an additional fee to reserve a charging spot in advance. Tesla owners are less willing to pay (39%), thanks to the benefits of Tesla's Supercharger network. However, almost half (47%) of owners of other EV brands are willing to pay the fee. On average, those willing to pay indicated $15 as a reasonable amount to reserve a charging spot.
Despite these fears, a substantial majority, 91% of EV drivers, expressed their intention to stick with electric vehicles for their next car purchase. As expected, Tesla owners are more likely to buy an electric car next (95%), but other EV brand owners weren't too far behind, at 86%.
However, recent studies showed that most PHEV owners rarely charge their cars, turning them into expensive and polluting hybrids. In the meantime, as more people experience electric vehicles, the initial fears have been replaced with new ones. Running out of charge is almost impossible in an electric vehicle unless you deliberately ignore the car's computer recommendations and warnings. Instead, being unable to charge when your battery is running low has become EV owners' biggest fear.
A Quantum Research Group survey commissioned by Ideal Power showed that EV owners still experience range anxiety, especially on long trips and in unfamiliar areas. However, only 9% of those questioned said they experienced range anxiety often. Another 29% admitted that they sometimes felt range anxiety, while 44% rarely felt that. A much smaller percentage (18%) said they never felt range anxiety.
Range anxiety includes several fears, but the biggest was arriving at a charging station and not finding an available charging spot. About 51% of all EV drivers experienced this fear, surpassing long charging times (47%), lack of nearby charging stations (46%), and malfunctioning equipment (39%). These fears were undoubtedly fueled by the fact that 38% of drivers have arrived at a charging station to find all spots occupied several times, with another 37% experiencing this at least once.
Thankfully, waiting times at a charging station are not an issue, with 29% of EV owners saying they never had to wait for a charging spot at a public station. Many people (48% of those questioned) said they had to wait less than 15 minutes on average, while 15% said they had to wait between 15 and 30 minutes. The unluckiest 8% confessed they waited more than 30 minutes on average to charge their EV.
This must be annoying because the study discovered that a large number of EV owners (42 percent) would be willing to pay an additional fee to reserve a charging spot in advance. Tesla owners are less willing to pay (39%), thanks to the benefits of Tesla's Supercharger network. However, almost half (47%) of owners of other EV brands are willing to pay the fee. On average, those willing to pay indicated $15 as a reasonable amount to reserve a charging spot.
Despite these fears, a substantial majority, 91% of EV drivers, expressed their intention to stick with electric vehicles for their next car purchase. As expected, Tesla owners are more likely to buy an electric car next (95%), but other EV brand owners weren't too far behind, at 86%.
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