What Is the Future of EV Charging?
How EV owners will charge their electric cars, trucks, and SUVs ten (or even five) years from now will likely be somewhat different than how they do so today.
While it is a testament to the work of scientists and engineers worldwide that EV ownership is a viable option for more drivers now than ever before, for all the leaps and bounds EV technology and infrastructure has made, it is the way of progress that there’s always room for improvement.
Particularly, many of the new initiatives in progress and innovations being researched seek to address the main hurdles currently facing electric vehicle charging, including availability, standardization, consistency, and speed. Notably, almost all these issues are unique to public chargers, as charging your EV at home is relatively simple.
Keeping in mind that EV-related legislation and new technologies are evolving rapidly, here’s how the EV charging of today could be improved and what’s being done about it.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Public charging could be greatly improved with an increase in the number of public charging stations available; more reliable charging stations with more consistent charging speeds and costs; better cooperation between industry leaders in terms of standardizing equipment, offering more payment options, and enhancing charging station design and user experience.
1. An increase in the number of public charging stations
TODAY’S ISSUES
At the time of this writing, and according to the Alternative Fuels Data Center (which has a fascinating guide to the number of fueling stations by state) there are a little over 50,000 public charging station locations in the United States, with just over 130,000 EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) ports available. With estimates that EV sales in the U.S. per year will top 1 million for the first time in 2023, the purchase of EV cars is outpacing the growth of today’s EV charging infrastructure.
These numbers do not factor in residential charging systems, like those for apartment complexes or condominiums, which are struggling with barriers of their own, such as installation costs, issues with passing on payments to residents, variable and complex utility and municipality requirements, and the lack of a one-size-fits-all solution for the various types of multi-family dwellings (MFDs).
Depending on where you live, a lack of EV infrastructure can make it hard for you to find an EV charger when you’re on the go. Infrastructure concerns can also make purchasing an EV less appealing. While the Department of Energy reports that 80% of North American EV owners used home charging more than any other type of charging, a similar 2022 EY Mobility Report (polling residents of 18 countries, including the U.S.) found that concerns about the lack of public charging stations in one’s area surpassed range anxiety as a top inhibitor for purchasing EVs.
WHAT’S CHANGING AND WHAT’S NEEDED
The biggest and most recent boost to increasing the number of EV charging stations nationwide to date comes from The White House. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) set aside $7.5 billion to help fund a national network of 500,000 new, public EV chargers by 2030. While this will put a significant dent in the need for more EV charging stations, research suggests the U.S. could need as many as 1.2 million chargers or more at that time, should the country also reach the BIL’s goal of EVs making up at least 50% of new car sales by that date.
Notably, $5 billion of the $7.5 billion BIL is available through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, a 5-year program that prioritizes adding public charging to underserved communities and along highways, and which must dedicate funding to all 50 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico.
Even with the addition of these 500,000 government-funded charging stations, more will likely be needed to bridge the gap. Who will build these is yet to be seen, although it’s probable that private charging networks and players in the gas industry will play a significant role.
2. Standardization of charging station design
TODAY’S ISSUES
Charging stations — like gas stations — are owned by different companies. However, how you charge your EV at different stations has slightly more variables at play, largely because a standardized station design and experience has not yet been established.
Payment authentication design
To access a charging station, you typically need to have your payment method authenticated. At many stations, this isn’t as simple as swiping your credit card. Many charging networks require the use of an app; others encourage you to use an app but let you charge without one for a higher price; still others will send you an RFID (radio frequency identity) card or fob in the mail to facilitate authentication. The variability in charging experiences can be off putting, especially to people who are less comfortable with technology.
Connector design
While the J1772 connector is standard across many EVs, it is not universal. And unlike your travel converter, an EV charger adapter may need to carry sophisticated data as well as power. For more information, see our article on EV connectors.
Station design
Electric vehicle charge port locations are not as standardized as gas or diesel fuel doors, and many EV chargers are at a curb and equipped with a shorter cable than a gas pump hose. Depending on your situation, you may have to bring your vehicle in at an angle (forward or backward), in addition to unhitching any trailer you’re pulling, in order for the connector to reach.
Blocked charging stations
“ICEing,” a term used when an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle parks in an EV charging spot, can sometimes make access to EV charging stations difficult. On the flip side, chargers can also be blocked by EVs that have completed charging but were left unattended.
WHAT’S CHANGING AND WHAT’S NEEDED
A recently announced rule by the Federal Highway Administration sets out to address these issues and calls for design standardization and general consistency across 6 points, including interoperability of EV charging infrastructure, network connectivity requirements, and installation, operation, and maintenance. The BIL specifies, among many other things, that “charging stations are required to contain a minimum number of ports, types of connectors, payment methods, and requirements for customer support services.”
State laws like the California law that requires, among other things, that charging station service providers can’t charge a subscription fee or require membership could also go a long way in making charging stations easier to use.
Meanwhile, it also makes sense that standardizing the location for vehicle charging ports–in much the same way as fuel doors predominantly reside on vehicle sides near the rear–would remove an access variable. Offering pull-through charging stations would also potentially speed up recharging for EVs pulling trailers.
On other fronts, some institutions and government entities are experimenting with wireless charging for EVs. While this has potential, building this technology will understandably take time. When you compare placing your phone with its 2-2.5 ounce battery directly on a charging pad to charging an EV’s 500-2500 pound battery as it drives over chargers that are either fixed or embedded in a roadway (all while the battery hovers four to six inches off the ground), it’s easy to see that, although the potential for this type of wireless charging is great, so are the challenges.
Excitingly, several companies are working on robotic recharging–that comes directly to your EV. Variables include manual or autonomous connection and energy from an onboard battery or fuel-cell generated battery.
Last but not least are portable chargers, which can help reduce range anxiety and can, in theory, be used for charging anywhere, from camping in the desert to a hurricane evacuation route.
3. Improvements to the grid and more consistent, reliable charging experiences
TODAY’S ISSUES
Numerous apps show public charging locations, and many electric vehicles include them on native navigation systems. However, those chargers may not be working; one study found a 39% failure rate in Level 2 and 3 charge attempts across 50 states. These failures can occur because of hardware and software faults, charger damage, or payment issues.
At the same time, while the maximum rate of charge is often shown on apps and maps, the actual charge rate delivered isn’t fixed. A DC fast charger posted as 350-kW might deliver less than that to begin with and taper off as the battery state of charge (SOC) increases. The charging rate can also drop as other vehicles plug in at the same station.
Additionally, some estimates anticipate that by 2040, the required minimum charger investment will be approximately $500 billion, and note that an interstate travel plaza for cars and trucks could easily use the electricity of a small town.
WHAT’S CHANGING AND WHAT’S NEEDED
Arguably, the quickest and easiest improvement available to the charging network is to make existing charging stations more reliable, easy to use, and transparently priced. The BIL mentioned above should also help the country make strides in that direction.
Mandating chargers in a portion of multi-dwelling housing parking areas could also make EVs more equitable. And in terms of the grid, it’s becoming increasingly clear that major electric infrastructure upgrades will be needed to support the use of both family vehicles and the trucking industry.
4. Less battery degradation and improved charging speed
TODAY’S ISSUES
EV batteries degrade over time just like that of a laptop. EV and plug-in hybrid battery packs are covered under a longer warranty than the typical 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty.
In terms of speed, as you may have seen on your personal device, battery charging begins at a faster rate and tapers off as it approaches 100%, which is why you see many charging references that say a battery can go from “10% to 80% in 30 minutes,” even if it might take another 15 minutes just to get that last 20% on board.
WHAT’S CHANGING AND WHAT’S NEEDED
Battery research is ongoing regarding materials, chemistries, and recycling. Faster battery charging creates more heat, so research is being done on cooled cables, which deliver more power more efficiently and safely. These will likely appear first on truck applications given trucks’ energy consumption and “time is money” commercial operation.
2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus with options shown throughout
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE WITH THE MAZDA CX-90 and CX-70 PHEVs
How we charge upcoming EVs will be affected by advances in existing methods and new ones, grid and charging infrastructure, standardization, government policy, and more.
Mazda is proud to be working toward a more sustainable future, with EV technology designed to meet your practical driving needs without losing the performance-focused driving experience and unparalleled craftsmanship you know and love. By 2035, Mazda aims to realize carbon neutrality at its factories around the globe, striving towards a goal of carbon neutrality across its entire supply chain by 2050.
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