Mobile Apps For EVs Are Pretty, But Struggle To Impress Users Where It Matters Most

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The rise of electric vehicles has arrived in lock step with the rise of connected vehicles. Although drivers are using mobile apps together with their EVs more than ever, owners aren’t fully satisfied with the app functions that are the most important to them.

Automakers and their software developers need to spend more time focusing on the parts of their apps that owners use the most, and less time focusing on the aesthetics, a new report from J.D. Power has found.

“Even though EV app usage has increased over time, the app features EV owners say are most important to them are among those that have the lowest satisfaction,” said Jason Norton, senior manager of global automotive consulting at J.D. Power. “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.”

Across automakers, the visual appeal of an app tends to be the area with which users are the most satisfied. However, they say that this is not a particularly important area of focus for them. Instead, users value speed and ease of navigation, two areas in which satisfaction ranks the lowest.

Read: Automotive Mobile Apps Continue To Frustrate Owners According To J.D. Power Study

Meanwhile, more than a third (37 percent) of EV app users reported that they have experienced some sort of connection issue in the previous 30 days while using their app. These kinds of frustrating failures are on the rise from this time last year, when just 32 percent said they had experienced outages in the last month.

These frictions points suggest that automakers have to refocus their efforts on the areas their users value the most. And that will be an important mission for EV manufacturers, since buyers are citing a good mobile app as a reason to buy.

Tesla‘s users are the most satisfied with their mobile app in the segment, J.D. Power found, and 59 percent of owners said it had at least a moderate impact on their decision to buy a Tesla. Moreover, 21 percent said the app had a major impact on their decision to buy.

These kinds of mobile apps aren’t just about showing off new tech, though. They are particularly useful for EV owners, 68 percent of whom say they use their app every other drive to check on things like charging progress and available range.

While Tesla ranks the highest among automaker (838 points out of 1,000), it isn’t the only one with satisfied customers. Mercedes (833), Hyundai (827), and BMW (815), are all close behind. The industry average is a lowly 741, thanks in parts to underperformers like Polestar (571) and Audi (571).