Making Electric Vehicles Live Around You
This idea all started back in December when I took a road trip down to Tampa. The trip that I’ve done multiple times before but never in my Tesla. What usually is a 13 trip took 17 hours due to charging. Some charging stations were in the middle of nowhere but some downtown. I wished I would have had the option of choosing what to do at the charging stations if it was going to take that long. I was so tired of planning my life around my ev and decided to look into it.
Planning My Life Around Charging
Electric vehicle (EV) drivers face significant challenges, including range anxiety, difficulty locating reliable charging stations, and limited access to service centers, which hinder the widespread adoption and convenience of EVs. This project aims to be a comprehensive solution that provides real-time information on charging infrastructure and service locations and optimizes route planning to ensure a seamless and positive EV ownership experience
Problem Statements
Research
PlugShare
Access charging stations across various networks in the US.
Reviews and real-time reports as well as information of different amenities around the charging station
Strengths
Focuses only on finding charging stations.
User-submitted data may not always be current and possibility for bias with reviews.
Weaknesses
Tesla
Real-time charger status and availability with wait times, pictures, and high traffic notifications
Able to manage maintenance and repairs directly through the app.
Strengths
Tesla-only chargers: Limited to Tesla’s Supercharger and Destination Charger networks.
Appointment availability issues: Service centers in some areas may have long wait times.
Weaknesses
Chargehub
Access charging stations across various networks in the US.
Reviews and real-time reports as well as information of different amenities around the charging station
Strengths
No service center features: Only focused on finding chargers, not vehicle services.
Payment through third-party apps: Charging often requires separate apps or RFID cards for payment.
Weaknesses
After doing the competitive analysis, I conducted 30 - 40 min user research interviews with 8 participants via Zoom while taking notes with Otter.ai
User Research
Certified
Many interviewers were open to taking their vehicle to non-dealership service centers only if they were certified by the brand
Integration
Many interviewers had issues with integration of the route planning apps with their vehicles
Many interviewers wanted to know what was around the charging stations such as: restaurants, shopping centers, bathrooms, etc...
Amenities
Personas and Their Journey
This research lead me to two personas and their journeys.
Prototype
Based of their journeys the idea with the app turned into making it personalized for the EV owner. Making it simple for users to find charging stations based on their preferences, service center availability, and trip goals.
Usability Testing
After going through usability testing, I received feedback on the design where it had a lot of opportunities for improvement.
Users overall liked the idea of the app being personalized to them and their charging preferences
They also liked how on the initial charging station information screen, it showed the amenities that were nearby
They thought there was an opportunity for the initial charging information screen to be able to be spaced out more
Some users didn’t know to scroll more for the charging station information
Users loved the option of saving planned trips as well as seeing trips recommended based on their preferences
They loved the option to be able to charge their vehicle at any affiliated charging station on the app
They wanted more consistent iconography
Users loved being able to compare prices of the different service centers
The app is not distinctive enough
