As a July 2023 Consumer Reports survey on Americans’ familiarity with electric vehicles discovered, a little over one-third of US drivers haven’t even seen an EV in their community, let alone driven one. It’s not familiarity — but rather unfamiliarity, it would seem — that breeds contempt, to turn an old saw on its head.
That unfamiliarity is only one of the challenges facing the EV industry today. If American drivers haven’t even seen an EV cruising around their neighborhoods, it’s hard to build a desire for these cars, no matter how slick the marketing.
Let’s take a closer look at this challenge and several other factors keeping Americans out of the driver’s seat of an EV. In doing so, we can identify how to drive the EV adoption rate forward across the country.
1. Unfamiliarity with Electric Vehicles
It’s not only those people who haven’t even seen an EV. Only 5% of the drivers that the Consumer Reports survey consulted had all the following familiarity factors:
- Had seen an EV in their community
- Knew someone who owned an EV
- Had ridden in an EV
- Had driven an EV
As the survey observed, familiarity with EVs tends to increase the rate of EV purchases among prospective car buyers. To conquer this challenge, auto dealerships could partner with local EV charging stations for a promotional event, starting with a test drive with refreshments afterward.
After the test drive is over, the sales staff will point out the many benefits of owning an EV. Then comes the cherry on top: free charging for as many weeks or months as the charging station owner and dealership management decide on.
Local EV enthusiasts, too, could get in on the action with “Discover EVs” events, where they could share their experiences with EV ownership. Free rides, take-home brochures, and refreshments will enhance the positive vibe.
2. Sticker Shock
Price remains a challenge that the EV industry must overcome to become Americans’ vehicle of choice. For starters, they’re still more expensive to make, thanks to the rare earth minerals carmakers must use to manufacture their batteries.
Higher MSRP
As of late 2024, the average price for a new EV was $56,328 compared to $47,790 for a gas-powered car, as a NerdWallet article points out. That’s a difference of $8,538.
However, that difference is trending downward. As the NerdWallet piece shows, that’s a distinct change from the 2022 price differential: $18,463. That’s nearly a $10,000 drop in only two years.
Lower Lifetime Operating Costs
However, with the lower lifetime operating costs EVs offer, many American drivers are better off by purchasing an EV. As Motorwatt’s Alex Roy shows, EV owners spend anywhere from $6,000 to $12,000 less than gas car owners over their cars’ useful lifetimes.
When automakers and car dealerships start pushing out content and sales spiels that point out these facts, more prospective car buyers will begin to consider an EV for their next purchase. Since the advantages of EVs significantly rise for urban drivers who put a lot of miles on their cars, targeting content to this market segment can help steer these drivers toward greater savings on their next purchase.
3. Range Anxiety
Range anxiety is real. Americans are used to jumping in their cars and going wherever they want (and however far) without worrying about finding a gas station for a quick fill-up when needed.
But drivers still worry about how far they can travel in an EV before finding a charging station and then waiting through a long charging session. Since below-freezing temperatures can significantly reduce an EV battery’s range, this issue is still a major concern among drivers in northern climates.
EV carmakers, though, have stepped up to the challenge by lengthening their cars’ range, even in winter. And with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and solid-state batteries on the horizon, range will soon cease to be an issue.
EV charging station companies, too, can do their part in building confidence in prospective EV buyers. Installing more EV fast chargers will lessen the time it takes for drivers to charge their cars. Having amenities that customers can enjoy while charging their vehicles can ease the worry about lost time too.
4. Difficulty Finding a Repair Shop
Although EVs require less maintenance than gasoline-powered cars, they still need the occasional repairs or parts replacements. If an expensive component needs replacing, there are few independent repair shops whose technicians can handle the specialized repair jobs EVs require.
So, EV drivers in some communities with low EV adoption rates have no choice. They must take their cars to their local brand dealership’s shop — often more expensive than independent shops, according to NerdWallet.
That shortage, however, is about to end. Tesla has funded EV technician courses in community colleges throughout the US. The company also provides training for independent auto repair shop employees.
The Siemens Foundation, too, has jumped into the EV technician training arena. It recently launched a $30 million training program to teach American auto technicians “to install and maintain EV chargers,” as a Reuters article stated. Without adequate training, untrained auto technicians could injure themselves trying to repair EVs, which have high-voltage batteries that could deliver a severe shock.
5. Charging Speeds Still Slow Compared to Gas- and Diesel-Powered Cars
Charging electric cars can still pose a challenge for drivers who struggle to adjust to the slower charging times an EV requires. Here’s why.
There are three EV charging levels:
- Level 1: These chargers can take more than a day to fully charge a car, depending on its battery size. However, drivers can use a standard household outlet (120 volts) to charge.
- Level 2: Level 2 chargers require a dedicated 240-volt outlet but can charge most EVs overnight. Many homeowners, hotels, and multi-family residential complexes opt for these types of chargers.
- Level 3 (DC fast chargers): These expensive yet convenient chargers need 400-volt or 800-volt DC electricity. Many of today’s DC fast chargers can charge a car from 10% to 90% in 30 minutes.
As battery and charging technology improve, those times will likely shorten. However, the Genesis Electrified GV70 has already eclipsed that half-hour time, taking only 24 minutes to charge from 10% to 90%.
In the Meantime, Provide Customers with a Better Charging Experience
Until technology provides EV drivers with charging times closer to the time it takes for an internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered car to fill up, EV charging stations can take steps to make the charging experience more pleasant for their customers.
Installing DC fast chargers can shorten charging times. Providing drivers with amenities to help them make the most of their rest stop will also go far toward conquering this challenge.
6. Limited Grid Capacity
Changing to EVs means millions of people will rely on the electric grid in new ways. Grid capacity, therefore, will need to increase to avoid strain.
EVs Will Likely Drive a 50% Increase in Grid Consumption
Experts vary on how much additional power we’ll need. However, as a National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) study predicts, the United States will undergo a 50% increase in electricity consumption by 2050, primarily due to EVs.
That increase is only an average that varies by state. The Energy Institute at the University of Texas assessed the electrical demand needed if each state converted all personal cars, trucks, and SUVs to plug-in EVs. Its researchers found that statewide energy consumption would increase by a low of 17% (Wyoming) to a high of 55% (Maine).
What Drivers Can Do to Increase Grid Capacity
The NEMA study recommends several solutions that can help drivers decrease the demand on the grid and have a backup plan in case of grid outages.
- Use V2G charging: Drivers and EV fleet owners can use their electric vehicles’ batteries to feed energy back into the grid through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging.
- Implement smart charging and load shifting: EV charging stations should implement smart charging and load shifting protocols to lessen the stress on the grid.
- Have a plan B: EV owners, fleet managers, and apartment buildings can deploy on-site battery storage or renewable energy sources to provide power during outages or peak usage hours. With that capability, prospective EV drivers will have a backup plan to fuel their cars even during blackouts or weather-related outages. With an alternative source of energy, EV owners won’t have to pay the pumped-up prices ICE-fueled car owners must pay to fuel their cars during such events — provided the gas station’s emergency generator even works.
7. Fears About Electric Vehicles’ Safety
Although research shows that electric vehicles are safer than gas-powered cars, safety is still a concern for many prospective EV buyers. As with any newer technology, people naturally have questions about the reliability and safety of electric vehicles.
To address this barrier, automakers and EV leaders should focus on educating consumers on the safety features of electric vehicles. Additionally, governments have mandated safety regulations to ensure all electric vehicles meet the highest safety standards.
8. Inadequate Charging Facilities in Underserved Communities
As a recent Argonne National Laboratory article points out, the US had more than 210,000 public EV chargers at over 76,000 charging stations as of February 2025. That’s a massive improvement over the 147,700 stations available to the public in late 2022.
Since February 2025, public stations have launched almost 1,000 chargers a week. Nearly 60% of the nation’s most-traveled roads have DC fast chargers available in 50-mile intervals. By the end of 2025, that number should shoot up to 70%.
With Tesla charging stations now making their Superchargers available to nearly all EV drivers, finding a fast charger shouldn’t be as difficult a challenge as in earlier years. In addition, the company’s Supercharger host program makes it easier for companies whose primary business is other than EV charging to install Tesla chargers for little or no expense on their part.
However, many rural and inner-city neighborhoods still lack such coverage. As the Supercharger host web page points out, it selects hosts from businesses “based on market expansion needs, as well as popular routes and destinations.”
Those criteria might still exclude underserved communities, as they’re not often considered “popular routes and destinations.” To increase EV adoption in those neighborhoods, Tesla and other EV charging companies must invest in the infrastructure that will make fast EV charging widely available in even these underserved areas.
Although it might be a bit of a gamble, it’s still a savvy investment, especially for Tesla. After all, as an automaker as well as a charging station, it has much to gain from opening up a new customer base.
With both US automakers and charging stations transitioning to Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), it’s time to make EV charging — and EV ownership — available to all Americans.
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