New EV charging research published this World EV Day finds that personal recommendations from friends, family, and more are an integral part of an EV driver’s decision to choose where to charge, according to new research carried out by Driivz, a Vontier company.
Word of mouth now rivals sat-nav for finding somewhere to charge
The new research, which surveyed over 3,000 EV drivers across North America and Europe, found that 91% of respondents would make a detour to charge at a location specifically recommended by another EV driver, while 76% of respondents also said they’d avoid a charging network entirely if a friend or family shared a bad experience of that network. Over half of the respondents, 55%, said they’d travel more than five minutes out of their way for a recommended charger.
When looking for an unfamiliar charging location, respondents trusted specialist charging discovery apps (33%) and recommendations from other EV-driving friends and family (32%) more than navigation apps (27%).
In another statistic that CPOs should take particular note of, the research suggests that a potential bad user experience at a public charger doesn’t stay private. In these situations, 79% of drivers said they’d warn friends or family, 76% would report the issue directly through a charging app, and 65% would leave an online review. However, for a good experience, the reverse effect is similar, with 42% of drivers likely to share their experience about a session that exceeded expectations.
There was also a generational divide among the responses, with younger EV drivers more likely to try new CPOs and follow peer recommendations, while older drivers tend to stick with trusted names.
The research lands on this year’s World EV Day, an annual event marking the global shift towards electric mobility. With CPOs focusing on statistics such as utilisation as a key performance indicator, the research suggests that drivers who spread their positive charging experience through word of mouth is a key factor in bringing more drivers to their networks.
Shiri Levi-Laor, CEO of Driivz, commented on the research:
EV charging has become much more than a question of where the nearest charger is located. Drivers are no longer just asking ‘where is a charger?’ They’re asking ‘is there a charger I can rely on?’ and increasingly, they’re trusting each other for the answer rather than relying on traditional navigation tools.
Reliable charging experiences build trust, and trust increasingly drives recommendations, reviews and future charging decisions. For operators, that creates a direct line from operational performance to customer loyalty, and ultimately, to long-term network utilization and profitability.”
