The Biggest Inconvenience for Electric Vehicle Charging Station Users: "Frequent Charger Breakdowns"

When Should You Charge Your Battery? Most Say '20~50%'

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Electric vehicle users identified 'frequent charger malfunctions' as the biggest inconvenience when using charging stations.

Regarding the timing of battery charging, the most common response was that users start charging when the battery level drops to between 20% and 50% due to range anxiety.

According to a survey conducted on June 30th by Softberry targeting 1,532 users of the electric vehicle charging information app ‘EV Infra,’ when asked about the battery level at which they charge, 36.4% of respondents answered ‘30-50%,’ ranking first, followed by 29.8% who answered ‘20-30%.’

On the other hand, only 10.4% said they charge when the battery level is below 20%. Considering that the battery warning light appears when the battery level reaches 8%, this suggests that many users have anxiety about their vehicle stopping due to battery depletion.

Regardless of battery level, 14.0% of respondents said they charge whenever they have the opportunity, and 9.3% said they charge at ‘50-80%’ battery level.

The number one inconvenience when using electric vehicle charging stations was ‘frequent charger malfunctions (30.1%),’ indicating strong demands for infrastructure improvements.

26.1% of respondents cited the lack of charging etiquette among other electric vehicle users as an inconvenience, and 20.6% reported experiencing inconvenience after checking the ‘available’ status on a charging station information platform but finding the charger already in use by another vehicle upon arrival.

Other inconveniences included excessive parking fees charged after using chargers in parking lots (10.2%) and frequent payment errors (6.9%).

When asked about the frequency of electric vehicle charging, 54.6% of users answered that they charge their electric vehicles ‘1-2 times per week,’ the highest proportion. ‘3-4 times per week’ accounted for 23.8%, followed by daily charging at 13.6%, and ‘5-6 times per week’ at 8.0%.

Respondents who charge their electric vehicles three or more times per week accounted for 45.4%, indicating that electric vehicle charging has become a natural part of users’ daily lives.

Regarding the time of day when charging is most frequent, ‘evening after work hours’ was overwhelmingly chosen by more than half (54.6%) of respondents, ranking first. This suggests that users primarily use electric vehicles for commuting to and from work.

Next were weekday daytime (14.0%), weekend evenings (12.3%), weekend daytime (8.3%), and morning commute hours (5.3%). Some respondents also mentioned using early morning or off-peak hours when charging station congestion is low and discounted rates are available.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.