Long charging times and a lack of available public charging stations have been cited as major barriers to EV adoption in countless studies and surveys, but a new survey of US consumers by Deloitte shows that attitudes may be changing.
Although it included about 31,000 responses from thirty different countries, the survey found that charging times may be what analysts call a “soft barrier” for US consumers, many of whom appear to be less interested in speeding up EV charging than filling up with gas. Of the US consumers surveyed, 77% said they were willing to wait 40 minutes to charge their vehicle from zero to 80% – within the DC fast-charging envelope of most current EVs.
Gravity EV charging station in New York City
While respondents said fast charging time was the most important part of the EV charging experience, most were able to wait 21-40 minutes for a charge. Location was also important, with 44% of respondents saying they preferred a dedicated EV charging station to a gas station with chargers, while only 15% preferred the opposite.
The study also emphasized that many EV drivers do not need regular charging. The majority (79%) of US respondents who intend to buy an EV say they plan to charge at home. That's a number close to what various surveys have found over the years—although 58% of the survey's total sample said they currently don't have access to a charger, prompting more details. And 35% of US consumers surveyed said they travel more than 60 miles from home only once or twice a month, while another 23% said they never travel that far.
General Motors and ChargePoint EV are fast charging
This paints a different picture than a Deloitte study published nearly a year ago, which concluded that EV charging times and costs may be holding consumers back. Two years earlier, another Deloitte study found that two-thirds of Americans did not want an EV, primarily due to range and cost concerns.
If the conclusions of this study are accurate, however, EVs are set to exceed consumer expectations. The list of vehicles with super-charge times for road trips is growing, and several companies, including Toyota, have teased that 10-minute charge times may be on the way—possibly involving solid-state batteries.