The J.D. Power EV Index, an analytics tool to track the growing electric vehicle market, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to help establish benchmarks and monitor ongoing development of EV infrastructure nationwide. The only analytics tool of its kind to deliver detailed data on EV infrastructure development and consumer experience with public charging networks at the ZIP Code level across the country, the J.D. Power EV Index will provide vital 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. ​“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 the progress to parity of EVs with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in the U.S. Updated monthly, the EV Index has consistently found that lack of public charging infrastructure has been the top consumer barrier to EV adoption. Additionally, the EV Index illustrates widespread variation in availability and accessibility of charging infrastructure in different parts of the country.

“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,” said Doug Betts, president of the J.D. Power automotive division. “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.”