Smart Charging and Consumer Behavior in the United States

This research paper by the World Resources Institute examines consumer attitudes toward smart charging, also known as vehicle-grid integration (VGI), based on a survey of current and prospective Honda EV owners in the United States.

• A survey of prospective and current Honda EV owners in the United States indicates that 95 percent of respondents are interested in vehicle-grid integration (VGI) programs, primarily motivatedS motivated by the desire to be greener, save energy, and receive financial incentives.
• Despite the interest in VGI, 94 percent of respondents expressed concern regarding at least one aspect of the technology, with the most common concerns being charge readiness, battery life, and data privacy.
• Certain demographic groups, including female respondents, lower-income individuals, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), reported higher levels of concern regarding server control, battery life, and data privacy.
• Interest in purchasing an EV capable of VGI participation ranges from 80 to 89 percent of respondents when provided with annual incentives between $300 for unidirectional programs and $1,000 for bidirectional programs.
• Over 85 percent of respondents expressed a desire to be notified about future VGI participation opportunities, suggesting that smart charging is a viable pathway if supported by appropriate framing, information, and incentives.
• The document identifies unmanaged charging as a risk to the electric grid because it typically occurs in the evenings during peak residential demand, which can cause network losses and grid overloads, and is misaligned with peak solar generation hours during the middle of the day.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Smart Charging and Consumer Behavior in the United States. https://www.wri.org/research/smart-charging-consumer-behavior-united-states

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Smart Charging and Consumer Behavior in the United States. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/smart-charging-consumer-behavior-united-states.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Smart Charging and Consumer Behavior in the United States |url=https://www.wri.org/research/smart-charging-consumer-behavior-united-states |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendsmart, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Smart Charging and Consumer Behavior in the United States}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/smart-charging-consumer-behavior-united-states}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }