Public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the United States have earned a notorious reputation for unreliability, a factor increasingly recognized as a significant barrier to broader EV adoption. These stations are frequently criticized for frequent malfunctions, exceedingly slow charging speeds, payment system failures, and ultimately leaving drivers stranded without adequate battery power. Despite the growing importance of EVs in the global campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, empirical data quantifying how public charging system reliability impacts consumer behavior has been remarkably sparse—until now.
In a recent study spearheaded by researchers at the University of Washington, a novel approach was undertaken to quantify how perceptions of public charging reliability affect a prospective buyer’s decision to purchase their first electric vehicle. Utilizing a series of carefully constructed hypothetical scenarios, the researchers examined key factors such as vehicle pricing, driving range, gasoline price volatility, and most critically, access to reliable public charging infrastructure. The objective was to tease apart the psychological weight that charger reliability holds compared to other variables influencing EV market penetration.
The findings were striking and, by many measures, alarming. Respondents harboring negative views on public charging infrastructure demonstrated markedly reduced willingness to select an EV over a gasoline-powered counterpart. To compensate for this distrust, the hypothetical EV needed to present extraordinary incentives—ranging from a 30% price reduction to an additional 366 miles of driving range or an expansion of 30,000 public charging stations accessible to consumers. Such figures reveal the profound extent to which reliability concerns skew buying behavior, overshadowing even substantial technological or economic benefits.
Don MacKenzie, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UW and senior author of the study, described these results as “monster findings” underscoring a critical vulnerability within the EV sector. According to MacKenzie, the impact of charger reliability on market dynamics has been significantly underestimated, with the potential to undermine efforts aiming to mainstream EVs. His cautionary evaluation suggests that without prioritizing reliability improvements, the entire industry faces a systemic risk that could stall adoption progress.
This research emerges at a delicate time for the U.S. EV market. Although overall adoption rates continue to grow, shifts in the political landscape are complicating projections. The recent expiration of federal tax incentives for electric vehicles coupled with ongoing legislative challenges to California’s stringent emissions policies are creating uncertainty. These policy uncertainties threaten to dampen consumer enthusiasm, especially in states considering similar environmental strategies aimed at phasing out gasoline-powered vehicles.
Compounding these challenges are persistent reliability issues reported by multiple studies investigating public charging networks. Research spanning recent years has documented significant malfunction rates, inconsistent charger availability, and maintenance backlogs that erode consumer confidence. Though some large charging providers, most notably Tesla, have achieved relatively higher reliability ratings, the heterogeneity of networks and chronic technical issues maintain a cloud of skepticism among potential EV buyers.
The University of Washington team operationalized the challenge of decoupling perception from reality in their experimental design. They recruited approximately 1,500 participants who had never owned an EV, dividing them into three groups to measure the influence of framing on their charging-related attitudes. One group envisioned a dystopian landscape of unreliable chargers, a second imagined an idealized, highly reliable public charging network, and the third was instructed to gauge their existing opinions. Each participant then engaged in a simulated vehicle shopping exercise, choosing between electric and gasoline-powered cars under systematically varied conditions.
This methodology allowed the researchers to isolate the psychological impact of charging reliability from confounding factors such as brand loyalty or prior ownership bias. The results were unequivocal. Those conditioned to believe in a problematic public charging infrastructure required disproportionately large concessions to favor an EV. For example, some demanded an unrealistic 366-mile augment in vehicle range before considering an electric model, a figure significantly exceeding the capabilities of most current electric vehicles on the market. This finding starkly illustrates the tremendous power of negative perceptions in dissuading consumers.
Interestingly, the research also highlighted concerns among respondents with access to home charging facilities. Even participants with the convenience of charging at home expressed apprehension about the reliability of public chargers, indicating that fear of being stranded outside their routine “home range” plays a substantial role in purchase reluctance. These findings suggest that public charging reliability concerns permeate beyond immediate practicality and extend into a broader psychological barrier limiting EV acceptance.
Lead author Rubina Singh, a doctoral student in civil and environmental engineering, emphasized how the interplay of “range anxiety” and charging infrastructure trust fundamentally shapes consumer attitudes. Newcomers to EV technology, less familiar with coping strategies and currently tolerable flaws, are especially vulnerable to these fears. Singh warns that failure to bolster confidence in charging networks could precipitate a slowdown in EV adoption trajectories at a pivotal moment in energy transition efforts.
The study’s authors also pinpoint a considerable knowledge gap regarding which particular reliability improvements would most effectively shift public perception. Would ensuring that charging stations are operational 90%, 95%, or 99% of the time dramatically improve consumer trust? Or could enhancements in payment processing systems and station user interfaces yield greater benefits? Pinpointing the optimal investments is essential for guiding policymakers, manufacturers, and charging network operators toward strategies with the highest return in customer confidence—and ultimately, sales.
Such complexities raise important implications for an industry racing to capture mass markets before internal and external momentum stalls. If growth precedes reliability enhancements, poor charging experiences risk provoking a backlash against EVs. According to MacKenzie, “It only takes one bad experience to lose a customer,” highlighting the fragility of trust in emerging technologies. The “Achilles’ heel” of public charging infrastructure, he warns, not only threatens individual customer retention but could impede systemic progress toward climate goals.
The importance of this study is magnified by its timing and the scale at which electric vehicles must expand to meet net-zero ambitions. As worldwide demand for EVs intensifies, ensuring that prospective buyers do not face compounded worries about infrastructure will be critical. Addressing public charging reliability is not merely a convenience issue—it is a vital component of the social license necessary for the transition to sustainable transportation.
This research was supported by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, underscoring the intersection of engineering innovation and policy development required to solve these nuanced challenges. The collaboration of academic researchers like MacKenzie, Singh, and co-author Casey Quinn—from UW Tacoma—reflects the multidisciplinary approach necessary to inform both technical solutions and strategic market interventions.
Media inquiries about this research can be directed to William Poor at the University of Washington (wpoor@uw.edu), or to the principal authors at their respective UW email contacts. The full study is published in the June 2025 issue of Transport Policy, available through academic databases, providing comprehensive insights into one of the most pivotal—and underappreciated—barriers in the evolution of electric mobility.
Subject of Research: Impact of public electric vehicle charging station reliability on consumer EV adoption decisions.
Article Title: Poor reliability of public charging stations can impede the growth of the electric vehicle market
News Publication Date: 28-Jun-2025
Web References:
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.06.026
- https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/most-common-ev-charging-problems-and-how-to-avoid-them-a1108537217/
- https://www.npr.org/2025/07/16/nx-s1-5462190/trump-tax-credit-solar-ev-heat-pump
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4077554
References: The original University of Washington study as published in Transport Policy, June 28, 2025.
Keywords: electric vehicles, EV adoption, public charging reliability, range anxiety, electric vehicle infrastructure, consumer behavior, sustainable transportation, charging station network, vehicle range, market barriers
