Reduce EV Range Anxiety and Charging Time

One barrier to more widespread electric vehicle (EV) adoption is concern about potential EV buyers regarding the distance the EV can travel between charges (called "range anxiety") and the amount of time required for the EV to charge. In a recent survey of U.S. car shoppers, these were the public's first and fourth-most important concerns regarding EVs.

To some degree, range anxiety and charging time can be addressed through technical solutions. Lower battery costs allow more battery capacity to be included in a vehicle at a given price, and more widespread deployment of Level 2 and "fast DC" or "Level 3" chargers can help make rapid charging more common.

It has been argued that the main problem is not technical, but a need for better consumer education. With in-home Level 2 charging (which can fully recharge a car overnight), the need for long ranges (200+ miles) is less than many first-time EV buyers might anticipate. The average trip in North America is less than 30 miles, and networks of fast charging stations can address the occasions when longer distances are necessary, with (for example) Tesla's newest chargers providing 100 miles of range in just 6 minutes for compatible vehicles.