American data analytics and consumer intelligence firm JD Power have just released its “2023 US OEM EV App Report,” revealing EV owners’ growing frustration towards OEM-developed apps.
Key findings
The report noted that EV owners often depend on their first-party mobile apps for a wide range of essential services, such as monitoring battery and range consumption, among others. 68% of EV owners admitted that they rely on their app at least every other drive to monitor their charge and range. Furthermore, 85% stated that they need the app to navigate the nearest charging stations in case of emergency, as most owners charge their cars at home.
Over 59% of Tesla owners stated that mobile app availability had at least a moderate influence on their buying decision, compared to 35% of non-Tesla owners. Additionally, 21% of Tesla owners stated that availability had a major effect on their buying decision, while non-Tesla owners only accounted for 7%.
According to 66% of EV owners, their car brand’s app at least 50% of the time they are on the road, indicating its growing significance to the EV ownership experience.
It is also worth noting that 19 of the 25 most common EV app features are defined as “desirable” by over 70% of EV owners. Unfortunately, only eight features are widely accessible across the industry.
Despite the obvious relevance of OEM-developed mobile apps, consumers rated these software packages’ design elements lowest in satisfaction. Customers specifically mentioned “speed and ease of navigation” as these platforms’ worst features.
“Even though EV app usage has increased over time, the app features EV owners say are most important to them are among those with the lowest satisfaction.
Manufacturers need to focus on improving the performance of the areas that matter most to EV owners in order to maximize their impact and elevate the user experience.”
Jason Norton, JD Power’s senior manager of global automotive consulting
Apart from that, the study also discovered most EV owners rely on their dealer or car brand to understand how their mobile app works. In the last 30 days, over a third (37%) of EV owners report experiencing a connection-related issue with their app, up from 32% a year ago. It may imply that some manufacturers’ app networks are under stress due to rising app consumption.
Unsurprisingly, Tesla ranked first t among manufacturers’ EV mobile apps, garnering an 838 score out of a 1,000-point scale. Mercedes-Benz followed it with an 833 score, while MyHyundai (827) ranked third.
See Also:
- Guide: EV mobile apps for locating the nearest charging stations
- Tesla updates Mobile app with the same EV Energy app
- Blink rebuilt the entire charging network and a new mobile app
- Brand Finance names Tesla the world’s most valuable automobiles brand
- Tesla submits a trademark registration for “TeslaOne” for a new internal application
The report features apps from the top 20 award-winning EV brands in the US, 5 in Europe, and 8 in China. Moreover, a poll of about 1,400 EV owners in the US was conducted to learn more about app usage, feature desirability, and overall app execution from April to May 2023.
