REPORT

Electric Vehicle Home Charging Station Installation in the United States

SEPTEMBER 2020

30 pages. 47 tables.

In the first study of its type ever published, this report takes in-depth look at all phases of the Level 2 installation experience, based on a survey of 3,524 US based EV drivers. Richly detailed with 47 data tables and accompanying analysis, it’s essential reading for automakers, government, utilities and charging hardware manufacturers, with a wealth of insights that can help boost EV adoption, guide future program design, and evaluate current driver-focused efforts.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact:

Norman Hajjar

[email protected]

See Topics Covered +-

The process of finding installers and getting quotes: Drivers have a range of different strategies, and some may be unnecessarily expensive.
The most crucial factors when picking an installer: We look at ratings of 9 importance factors determining installer selection, then boil it down to the single most critical one.
Automaker-sponsored installer referral programs like Qmerit and Amazon Home Services: So far, at least, interest looks extremely light.
The kind of electrical work that was needed, and its cost: A breakdown of the installation tasks and their frequency.
The on-the job- experience: How many workers? How long did it take? Were they on time? Did it take longer than expected?
Driver satisfaction with the installation: Drivers rate their experiences on 8 different satisfaction dimensions.
Missing out on incentives: Unfortunately, rebates, grants and credits from utilities and government are claimed by only a small minority of drivers.
Do-it-yourselfers: A surprisingly large percentage of drivers install their own home charging station, without help from a professional installer. We dive deep into this unexpected finding in a dedicated, highly detailed section.

See The Table of Contents +-

A. Executive summary

1. Use of Level 2 (L2) stations at home in the US

2. L2 Home charging and vehicle battery size

3. Types of L2 home charging station installations performed

4. Who performed the L2 home charging station installations?

5. Types of work tasks performed in the course of installation

6. Closer look: Professional installations

6.1 Before the installation

6.1.1 Researching/identifying installer

6.1.2 Use of installer locator services

6.1.3 Automaker branded installation

6.1.4 Online home services review sites

6.1.5 Quoting process

6.1.6 Pre-quote professional assessment

6.1.7 Criteria for final installer selection

6.2 Professional installation process

6.2.1 Time to complete the installation

6.2.2 Where the station was placed

6.3 After professional installation

6.3.1 How drivers rated the installation experience

6.3.2 Post-installation inspection

6.4 Costs, payment and incentives for drivers receiving professional installation

6.4.1 Installation services costs

6.4.2 Payment terms

6.4.3 Incentives, rebates or credits for hardware or installation

7. Closer look: Drivers performing their own installations

7.1 Time required to complete self-installation

7.2 Self-installers: perceived installation difficolty

7.3 Self-installers: pre-installation reference sources and research

7.4 Perceived savings

7.5 Self-installers: post-installation inspection

APPENDIX

A. Methodology/Sample

B. Glossary of terms used in the report

See List of Tables +-

TABLE 1: Main form of charging at home: US EV drivers
TABLE 2: Impact of battery size on L2 home charging adoption
TABLE 3: Types of L2 home charging station installations
TABLE 4: Who performed the installation of L2 home stations?
TABLE 5: Tasks performed during charging station installation
TABLE 6: Installation tasks: professionals vs. self-installers
TABLE 7: Multiple installations
TABLE 8: Main way pro installer was selected for L2 stations
TABLE 9: Use of online review sites for pro installer selection
TABLE 10: Incidence of obtaining more than one quote
TABLE 11: Multiple quotes: average number and cost spread
TABLE 12: Did driver select the lowest bid offered?
TABLE 13: Reason low bid not selected
TABLE 14: Did selected installer perform a pre-bid visit?
TABLE 15: Did the installer request digital images before quoting?
TABLE 16: Ratings for 9 Factors influencing installer selection
TABLE 17: Most important factor in installer selection
TABLE 18: Labor: length of time spent on the installation
TABLE 19: Actual job time vs. quoted job time
TABLE 20: Time between selection of installer and start of work
TABLE 21: Reason for delay of more than one week before installation
TABLE 22: Number of workers on jobsite
TABLE 23: Did installer(s) arrive on time?
TABLE 24: Location of the installation
TABLE 25: Post installation: installer evaluation on 8 factors
TABLE 26: Overall process evaluation
TABLE 27: Pro-installation: Was a permit required?
TABLE 28: Was the site inspected by city/local authorities?
TABLE 29: Install price (not including hardware or incentive offset)
TABLE 30: Final price amount vs. quoted price
TABLE 31: Payment terms for installation service
TABLE 32: Drivers with pro install: incentives/rebates/credits/grants
TABLE 33: Drivers with pro install: incentives/rebates/credits amount
TABLE 34: Drivers with pro install: Source of incentive
TABLE 35: Self-installers: time required to complete installation
TABLE 36: Self-installers: driver rating of job difficulty
TABLE 37: Self-installers: “would you do it again?”
TABLE 38: Self-installers: “Installation process is safe for most drivers”
TABLE 39: Self-installers: highest level of electrical training
TABLE 40: Self-installers: experience with electrical projects
TABLE 41: Self-installers: other home projects completed
TABLE 42: Self-installers: pre-project personal advice
TABLE 43: Self-installers: resources consulted (multiple responses)
TABLE 44: Self-installers: Most useful learning resources consulted
TABLE 45: Self installers: savings estimated by self-installation
TABLE 46: Self-installers: was a permit required?
TABLE 47: Was the site inspected by city/local authorities?

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