Electric vehicle (EV) adoption has a problem keeping people long-term, as 20% of California EV owners switch back as a result of inconvenience.

EV adoption is one of the main thrusts many governments and companies are promoting as a way to slow greenhouse gases and fight climate change. Many automakers have already committed to transitioning their entires lineups to hybrid or fully electric vehicles within the next decade.

Unfortunately, a large portion of EV owners ultimately end up going back to gasoline vehicles because of the inconvenience surrounding charging. A study by Nature Energy, regarding plug-in electric vehicles (PEV), found that “PEV discontinuance in California occurs at a rate of 20% for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle owners and 18% for battery electric vehicle owners.”

Much of the issues stemmed from issues “related to dissatisfaction with the convenience of charging, having other vehicles in the household that are less efficient, not having level 2 (240-volt) charging at home, having fewer household vehicles and not being male.”

The low-voltage of outlets, in particular, are a major issue, with some users reporting a mere few miles range on an hour’s charge.

Nature Energy’s study illustrates the importance of continued development in battery technology that provides faster charging and higher capacities.