Monash study finds EV chargers are an “eyesore”, home charging preferred

Monash University researchers have released a ​​future energy study, finding Australians believe public electric vehicle chargers are an “eyesore” – despite admitting more public infrastructure is needed and charging at home is most preferred.

“Our foresights suggest that households will want fully charged vehicles every morning, electric vehicle ownership will likely be higher where there is better charging infrastructure, and future drivers will be more dependent on battery services and roadside assistance,” lead author and academic Professor Sarah Pink said.

The Melbourne-based university studied 72 households in Victoria and New South Wales, and used secondary data and reports.

Key findings

The Monash-led study reveals there’s a unanimous belief that most EV charging would be done at home overnight to have a full battery at the start of every day.

Participants prefer to utilise rooftop solar panels at home and charge during the day for those who work from home or tradies who get home by 3pm to enable early afternoon EV charging, especially in rural and regional areas

Public EV chargers were perceived as bulky, ugly and “eyesores”; participants didn't want them to disrupt local life spaces like parks and shopping centres. But, respondents concede more public charging stations are needed at health, leisure centres and supermarkets to top-up while doing everyday errands.

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When topping-up charging or selling electricity back at public stations as part of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems, Australians envisioned that they would receive loyalty scheme rewards or discounted charging rates in return. Automated plug-in or wireless charging stations were also welcomed to improve convenience.

Interest in big EV charging hubs and spaces for switching to alternative transport modes like at a train station car park, with the ability to book spots ahead of time was also mooted. The study reveals the need for more roadside assistance providers to provide fast DC charging support when stranded (rather than trickle charging currently).

It also points to the fact that electric cars won’t only draw in environmental- or cost-conscious Australians, as more consumers will be interested in technology, acceleration and other features instead.

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Charging inequality emerging

However, the report also emphasised that uneven access to public EV charging infrastructure will lead to new inequalities. For example, not all apartment dwellers can plug-in their electric cars and retirement villages don’t offer car parking spaces for residents.

People living in rural areas also lack alternative public transport modes and those who need to travel longer distances to access facilities (eg: medical appointments), but can’t charge their car prior to leaving or at the destination may be disadvantaged.

Personal EV ownership was also questioned for urban residents, who prioritise convenience, with the everyday challenge of finding parking and charging proving a barrier to adoption.