Last Updated on: 21st November 2023, 11:08 pm
According to the latest 2023 Global Driver Survey conducted by market research company Borderless Access, drivers worldwide are calling for enhanced in-car parking and charging functionality. The survey, completed in May 2023 and encompassing the responses of 5454 motorists globally, including 2225 electric vehicle (EV) owners, unveiled that a majority of drivers regularly encounter difficulties in finding parking and EV charging locations. They expressed a desire for features that assist in locating available parking and charging destinations and enable payment through their vehicles.
Parking: Drivers face challenges worldwide
Locating available parking spaces is a significant hurdle worldwide, with 92% of respondents reporting difficulties in finding parking. Globally, 8% of drivers face this challenge every time they search for parking, indicating an underutilization of connected services across the board. In the US, 18% of motorists experience difficulties during every parking search, with significant variations among states. In New York, 58% of drivers face frequent parking challenges, followed by 47% in California and 46% in Texas. In contrast, the number drops to 23% in Ohio.
Nearly half of global respondents consider parking information as extremely or very important, including 67% of American drivers and 72% of US EV owners. Only 3% of global respondents perceive parking information as unimportant, with an even lower figure in the US. Consequently, 77% of global respondents express interest in having a vehicle that offers integrated parking services, enabling them to navigate directly to parking locations. Among global EV drivers, this desire reaches 86%, rising to 91% among US EV owners.
EV Charging: Drivers seek improved charging services
Similar to their parking expectations, a significant proportion of drivers worldwide desire assistance from their vehicles in locating EV charging points and facilitating in-car payments. Charging anxiety is a well-established concern among EV drivers, and the Global Driver Survey underscores the significance of this issue. More than 90% of EV drivers worldwide experience anxiety about finding charging locations away from home, with figures reaching 91% in Europe and 92% in the US.
Unfortunately, charging anxiety is not unfounded, as 44% of EV drivers report running out of charge, and 22% have found themselves stranded multiple times. These numbers are particularly high in the US, where nearly half of EV owners have run out of charge, and a quarter have fallen short of their destination multiple times. Furthermore, one in five European motorists has run out of charge more than once.
Addressing this problem, 92% of EV drivers worldwide struggle to locate charging points away from home, with 22% describing this as a frequent or constant issue. The figure rises to 35% for American EV drivers, emphasizing the need for technology that assists drivers in finding suitable charging points.
The survey also revealed that a large proportion of EV drivers receive unexpected parking fines while charging their vehicles. In the US, 68% of EV owners have received such fines, highlighting the importance of accurate parking and charging information. More than half of EV drivers who have received parking fines believe that more accurate information would have prevented the fines, with 39% citing in-car payments as a solution to this problem.
Connected Car Services Impact Vehicle Choice
Nearly half of American EV drivers have experienced running out of charge, with a quarter encountering this issue multiple times. Consequently, US motorists are particularly interested in in-car payments to simplify the payment process when they find suitable chargers. Around 90% of global EV respondents prefer a vehicle that offers the ability to locate public EV charging stations and navigate directly to them, including 91% of US EV owners. These features are no longer considered optional but essential for EV owners, influencing their future vehicle choice.
Globally, almost 9 out of 10 respondents would be more likely to purchase an EV if it had ‘Park and Charge’ functionality, enabling them to locate chargers, access parking information, navigate directly to them, and pay for charging and parking through their vehicle’s media system. This would reduce anxiety for 92% of current US petrol and diesel car owners regarding the transition to an EV.
Moreover, 96% of existing EV drivers state that combined Park and Charge features would make them more likely to choose another EV. In-car activations and payments for charging are also valued by 84% of EV drivers.
Rise in In-Car Commerce Demand
In-car commerce, which allows drivers to make payments for services such as parking, EV charging, road tolls, and food directly from their vehicles, is a rapidly growing industry. Demand for these features is increasing, with 60% of global respondents valuing vehicle-centric in-car payments, and 48% desiring Single Sign-On access across multiple service providers through one account in their vehicle. American drivers express the strongest desire for these features, with 70% interested in vehicle-centric in-car commerce and 61% valuing Single Sign-On.
Among the most requested in-vehicle services, 64% of global respondents would value in-car payment options for parking, while 75% of current EV drivers would like to pay for EV charging through their vehicles. American drivers are particularly interested in these features, with 68% valuing in-car payments for parking and 81% of US EV drivers wanting to pay for charging from their vehicles. Notably, the number of respondents requesting vehicle-centric options for payments is nearly double that of those requesting food choices for in-car payments.
Eugene Tsyrklevich, Founder and CEO of Parkopedia, commented on the survey results, stating that accurate data and services should be provided to drivers through connected vehicles to address the challenges they face in finding parking and charging locations. Tsyrklevich emphasized that providing trustworthy and accurate information and services can alleviate the inconvenience, stress, and anxiety associated with parking and charging, ultimately facilitating the transition to EVs or ensuring smooth journeys for drivers.
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