Transportation Electrification

National Grid: Are EV-Supporting Programs Revving the Market?

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Key takeaways

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To increase EV adoption and charging infrastructure, it's essential to enhance visibility through signage and promote the diverse capabilities of EVs to address consumer concerns.

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Organizing test drive events can build familiarity and confidence among potential buyers.

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Developing compelling business cases, incentives, and pilot programs for site hosts can encourage participation and demonstrate the value of installing charging stations. 

The challenge

Offering a charging station program does not guarantee more electric vehicle servicing equipment (EVSE) installations or EVs on the road. National Grid used on-the-ground feedback to determine what else is needed to spur EV and EVSE sales. To drive EV and EVSE adoption, you need to know whether and how your efforts are moving the market and shifting awareness, perceptions, or purchase considerations. In partnership with Energy & Resource Solutions (ERS), E Source is helping National Grid drive adoption to meet state goals using feedback from prospective EVSE site hosts and EV buyers.

The solution

To provide these insights, E Source used both in-depth interviews and survey research to learn from the market. Through research with a wide range of drivers and prospective and current site hosts, E Source is providing National Grid with needed insights to optimize charging station program performance. Hearing directly from the market, National Grid can continually improve the design, ensuring it anticipates and overcomes barriers. Utilities and program administrators are playing an increasingly important supporting role as state governments set aggressive EV and EVSE market development targets. As our industry helps accelerate EVSE and EV adoption, listening and remaining responsive to real concerns keeps the customers in the driver’s seat.

 

The results

In year one of the two-year study, our surveys and in-depth interviews found persistent barriers to EV and EVSE adoption.

Customers have:

  • Strong awareness of EVs but feel they lack sufficient knowledge on whether they will meet their needs, are fun to drive, are more expensive to maintain, and more
  • Cost and range anxiety

  • Concerns about charging availability 

    The belief that current EVs are not a 1:1 replacement of their current vehicles

Prospective EVSE site hosts have:

  • Knowledge gaps when it comes to the demand for charging, how EV charging actually works, and projected EV growth
  • Concerns about up-front installation costs and high operating costs as demand charges go up
  • Worries about utilization and whether they can amortize costs over a large enough EV customer base
  • Complex decision-making structures that can create protracted participation processes