Electric-vehicle drivers tend to put high value on mobile applications that control their cars from outside, but many find most apps don’t make the grade.

From a spring survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. EV owners, J.D. Power found that while such apps have become “an extension of the vehicle itself,” many leave much to be desired, particularly in several categories.

The apps allow users to remotely lock and unlock EVs, monitor battery charge and manage interior temperature, and use of them keeps increasing among EV drivers. 

About a third of non-Tesla drivers, or 32%, use their EV’s mobile app every time they take to the road, up from 17% last year, while Tesla's mobile app use rose from 69% to 79%, the survey found.

Many EV apps on the market, though, have a ways to go to meet expectations.

“Top-performing apps deliver fast, consistent remote controls and have desired features. However, most other apps are still closing that gap,” said J.D. Power Mobile Apps Lead Violet Allmandinger in a press release on the data provider’s report.

Leading complaints about the apps centered on connection, remote control speed, and feature performance inconsistency, all in conflict with EV consumers’ increasing expectation of consistent speed and reliability. 

Connection problems topped all others, 37% of non-Tesla drivers experiencing them, though that’s down from 40%. Tesla app-connection complaints fell from 35% to 19%.

EV consumers appear to have little patience, almost half saying they expect five seconds to be the longest app commands should take to be done, Tesla drivers having an even higher bar, 40% expecting fulfillment in no more than two seconds.

Automakers have more work to do to find consumers’ sweet spot on app features, the survey found. Lack of use among some features could point to the need for more awareness or availability.

Brand apps scoring the highest in the survey are Tesla, with a score of 864 on a 1,000-point scale, Mercedes at 839 and BMW at 833 in the premium segment, and Hyundai at 820, Kia at 808 and MINI at 797 in the mass-market segment.

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