Do EV Drivers really care about the EV Network?

On a call yesterday with a fellow #evcharging expert and I said:

"I can't figure out the placement of certain [large EV network provider] stations. There's no way they will ever recoup the development costs of those stations due to perpetual low utilization."

and he said:

"They're not as concerned with unit economics as they're going for the network effect so their customers will stay on their network and always have [large EV network provider] stations to charge at."

But my belief - albeit purely based on my own experience - is that EV drivers (non-Tesla) don't really care about the network (ie EVgo, Electrify America, Chargepoint, Blink etc). EV drivers care about finding a fast charging station that actually works and is close to them when they need it.

In other words: Location & Reliability >>> Network

For DCFC, there are two main use cases: Drivers on road trips and Drivers who don't have access to charging where they live or work.

Road Trips:

I've taken 3 long road trips from our home in Atlanta in our etron where we needed to rely on DCFC along our route. Twice to Savannah and once to Asheville. In every instance I went to Plugshare and found DCFC stations along the route where I thought we would need it. In every instance I picked based on which DCFC stations I could rely on within the radius of the area I needed to charge in (location + reliability)...NOT based on which network I wanted to use.

And I think the majority of EV drivers are the same...they pick based on factors like:

• distance off the road they're traveling on
• reliability (based on Plugshare reviews)
• speed (in kW) of chargers

They don't just look for stations on their preferred network (unless they are Tesla drivers looking for Superchargers...which may change in the future).

Drivers without access at home or work:

The other use case is EV drivers who can't charge at home or work. For example, a condo dweller who has an HOA that isn't willing to put in EV charging infrastructure and they work from home. In this case, the driver will typically want to find a DCFC station close to their home so they can fill up once a week (while they're shopping or getting lunch/dinner). I don't think Level 2 stations suffice for this use case.

In this scenario, the driver wants to find a station close to their home / routine that is reliable and delivers the charging experience they need. More than likely, they will find a few chargers that they like and can rely on. If they have a DCFC at their grocery store and that's on a different network than the DCFC at their favorite restaurant...who cares!

In other words: Location & Reliability >>> Network

EV Drivers, what are your thoughts on this?