Charge Anxiety

Twelve years ago, Tesla Motors released their second all-electric car, the Model S. After decades of experimentation and limited release vehicles (like the short lived GM EV1), an all electric vehicle had finally broken through to the American market as a beautiful car that happened to be electric. People wanted to buy this car. What followed was an ever increasing push from manufacturers, governments, environmentalists, and lobbyists to make electric vehicles a permanent fixture on the global automotive stage. During the course of the 2010s, most OEMs worked to introduce EVs into their lineups of hybrid and ICE vehicles. While experiencing varying degrees of success, by 2021 it was clear that EVs were here to stay. Legislators and regulators alike encouraged OEMs and consumers to adopt EVs through various tools such as toll lane fast passes, tax credits, and manufacturer emissions incentives. Other companies such as Rivian and Lucid sprang up to try their hands as the push for EVs reached a fever pitch, and Tesla became the highest valued car manufacturer in the world. Not all has been perfectly smooth however, as charging station availability and infrastructure have continued to lag behind the innovations in EV technology. The tides have begun to shift and major improvements to EV charging seem to be well within reach. 

Charging station availability and reliability have long been major concerns for EV adoption in the United States. While gas stations are on seemingly every corner across the country and have been since before World War II, charging station network development had to essentially start from zero just a decade and a half ago. According to the Department of Energy, in 2011, there were a total of 2,100 charging stations with a combined capacity of 5,070 charging ports. Most of these stations were concentrated in California, which up to that point had been the primary place of early EV adoption. To compare, there were something like 150,000 gas stations, with exponentially more pumps each requiring less time on a per user basis. Much has changed since 2011 though, and the DoE now reports that the US has over 68,000 charging stations nationally with 184,000 individual charging ports. In only 13 years, US companies and government agencies have facilitated a 34 fold increase in total charging stations. Moreover, as of 2024, six-in-ten Americans live within two miles of a public charging station, and over 95% of the American population lives in a county with at least one public charging station. EV ownership has become viable for the majority of Americans in terms of access to charging… and it is only going to continue to get better. 

A big question that has loomed at the forefront of prospective EV owners is the interoperability of charging stations with their vehicles. While all ICE vehicles can get gas from effectively any gas station, questions have swirled about the possibility of many plug formats from different manufacturers. This would create a significant obstacle to ownership and adoption if only 20% of the charging network was compatible with OEM X’s vehicles and 15% with OEM Y’s. Thankfully, OEMs and charge point operators are putting forth a coordinated effort to standardize their charging stations and plugs. Companies including Tesla, Blink Charging, ChargePoint, EVgo, Ionna, and others are collaborating to standardize charging connectors and make it easier for owners to use their electric vehicles. Tesla’s Superchargers utilize the NACS plug, and an increasing number of OEMs have entered into agreements to make their cars compatible with Tesla’s charging network. Audi, BMW, Ford, Hyundai/Kia/Genesis, GM, Honda, Jaguar, Toyota/Lexus, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Volvo, Porsche, Rivian, and VW have all worked out deals with Tesla to adopt the NACS plug. While some may be concerned about Tesla’s ability to “monopolize” the charging market, this is a net win for commercial and private EV owners because they will no longer have to navigate the old patchwork of charging standards. 

Technology companies are also looking for ways to make the charging process more seamless. One way has been to expand on the standard set by Tesla that created the capability for their owners to initiate charging by simply plugging in their cars at a Tesla Supercharger and walking away. The station communicates with the car and takes care of the billing and charging process. Electrify America and VW created an alternative called Plug & Charge which relies on vehicle and charging station upgrades where both use an ISO certificate to enable a similar experience. While this technology is beginning to roll out as other OEMs and newer DC fast chargers are being built with this certificate built in, it leads to a question: What can be done to upgrade the experience for all the existing vehicles and charging stations that do not and will not ever have this hardware capability? Thankfully, there is a solution that is being rolled out from WirelessCar in collaboration with Blink but will likely include most charge point operators eventually. WirelessCar calls this “Plug & Go.” Utilizing connected car capability and connected public charging stations, WirelessCar and Blink have successfully demonstrated a comparable experience for virtually any EV at any public charging station. Neither needs to have the ISO certified Plug & Charge capability. As long as the customer has a valid account with Blink and their telematics is active and connected to WirelessCar through the OEM, the customer can just plug in and go. Thanks to the innovative efforts of firms like Blink and WirelessCar to improve the charging experience, the reasons to avoid EV ownership are being reduced every quarter.

Making the charging experience as seamless as possible for owners has steadily become one of the top priorities for EV manufacturers. It comes as no surprise that more Americans are willing to buy into EV technology as kinks in the charging network are ironed out by the industry through innovation, cooperation, and investment. Range and charge anxiety are well documented phenomena prevalent in the consumer psyche. 65% of new EV owners report feeling range anxiety when they first purchased their vehicle, and 78% of future EV owners reported feeling range anxiety in the 1-2 years leading up to their purchase. The mere existence of these concerns is an obstacle for EV adoption, but the herculean efforts of the US government, OEMs, technology companies, and charging station operators to develop, optimize, and streamline the national charging experience is working wonders to assuage fears and speed up adoption. 

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