J.D. Power, a data analytics and consumer intelligence provider, said its EV IndexSM, an analytics tool to track the growing U.S. electric vehicle market, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to help establish benchmarks and monitor development of EV infrastructure nationwide. The tool, which delivers detailed data on EV infrastructure development and consumer experience with public charging networks at the ZIP code level across the country, will provide information on regional trends in infrastructure growth and potential barriers to widespread consumer adoption.

“Universally accessible, equitable, and reliable EV charging infrastructure is a cornerstone to widespread consumer adoption of EVs,” said Michael Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation and Fuels in DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, in a press release. 

​“It is critical that we consistently evaluate detailed trends in the availability of public chargers, specific obstacles consumers face with the existing charging network, and regional variations in consumer demand to ensure resilient grid infrastructure, provide adequate EV charging capacity and coverage, and support access to EVs by all Americans.”

The J.D. Power EV Index tracks millions of data points aggregated into six categories—interest, availability, adoption, affordability, infrastructure and experience—to evaluate progress to parity of EVs with internal combustion engine vehicles in the U.S. Updated monthly, the index has consistently found that lack of public charging infrastructure has been the top consumer barrier to EV adoption. The index also illustrates widespread variation in availability and accessibility of charging infrastructure in different parts of the country.

“The EV space is moving so quickly that the major policy, strategy and regulatory decisions that are being made today have the power to dramatically alter the course of the future of the automobile,” said Doug Betts, president of the J.D. Power automotive division. “We created the EV Index to help key stakeholders make informed decisions based on the most comprehensive data available tracking EV adoption, affordability, infrastructure and several other factors that provide a complete view of the EV landscape in real-time. Infrastructure data at a ZIP code level can be used as effective building blocks to measure the progress of infrastructure creation for many different participants.”

DOE research using the J.D. Power EV Index will be led by Argonne National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary science and engineering research center managed by UChicago Argonne LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

“Combined with Argonne’s technical data and analysis, J.D. Power data on EV-related consumer behavior will help Argonne and DOE advance the understanding of the current EV user and charging landscape,” said Claus Daniel, Argonne associate laboratory director for advanced energy technologies. “This understanding will support decision-making that moves the nation closer to its clean transportation and climate goals.”