Uscale Survey: Customers Pay Attention to Quality in Wallboxes
The leading energy trade fair in Germany, comprised of Intersolar and Power2Drive in Munich, has made it clear: more and more providers of wall boxes are vying for new customers in the German market. By now, the supply exceeds the demand. Price pressure and competition are growing. Consolidation seems inevitable. The market research company Uscale from Stuttgart has examined quality and willingness to pay, and whether wall boxes have become a so-called commodity or if customers are capable of recognizing and asking for the technical differences through a customer survey.
“Contrary to our assumption, wall boxes are far from becoming a commodity, i.e., a standard product where the customer automatically goes for the cheapest option. Although Chinese brands are trying to capture the market with their own cheap brands, the study results show that they have little chance of success for the time being. Although many wall boxes from renowned manufacturers and their components are produced in China, customers value high quality and consultancy, service, and trust when purchasing. This is likely to shape the competition for a while," comments Axel Sprenger, founder and CEO of Uscale.
On the market for wall boxes, there are well over 100 providers, and charging solutions for home use all look similar and range in price from 200 to 2,000 euros. Chinese providers are pushing onto the German market with cheap offers. Nevertheless, customers can recognize and assess technical differences, as the analysis showed. In a survey of 1,011 e-car drivers with home charging options, the Wallbox Pricing Study 2024 determined that price is not the guiding criterion for e-car drivers regarding private charging solutions. Cheaper is not better, and moreover: below a certain level, the products become even less attractive. Among a list of 16 technical utilities with the greatest relevance for the purchase decision of a wall box, charging performance ranked 1st, followed by price in 2nd place and the possibility of PV surplus charging in 3rd place.
Large Portion with Own PV System
A large portion of electric car users have their own private solar panel system and operate their own energy cycle, underscoring a high level of user competence. This was also confirmed by the survey through the integration of smart home technology, heat pumps, and battery storage. In fourth place follows app control, with the manufacturer's brand securing fifth place, followed by timed charging in sixth place. The other rankings also clearly show that users are well-informed about the interaction between electromobility and renewable energy, which requires several technical functions that not all wall boxes have. When asked about the price, a large majority sees offers above 1,400 euros as significantly too expensive. The greatest overall benefit is seen by respondents in wall boxes priced between 600 and 700 euros. Cheaper offers are perceived as less attractive.
Complex Products are Often Purchased In-Store
The fact that wall boxes are seen as complex products by users is also evident in the places of purchase: Buyers prefer locations where they can also receive competent advice. Only 31% purchase from a general online retailer. The remaining 66% buy directly from the manufacturer, from specialized online shops, and from other providers who offer advice in addition to the wall box (Graph 3 of the press handout). The study was conducted using the Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint method. Because customers find it difficult to assign individual functions to the overall attractiveness when making purchasing decisions for complex products, they evaluate the product "as a whole." However, for the analysis, it is necessary to evaluate individual value-driving features, which is why respondents were repeatedly presented with different offers during the test from which they had to choose their preference. The relevance of individual features was finally determined through a multivariate analysis.
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