Improving the Payment Transparency in Electric Vehicles (EVs)

In recent years, there has been a drastic shift as more individuals are moving away from traditional gasoline vehicles towards electric vehicles (EVs). The rising popularity of electric cars is attributed to their eco-friendly nature — they are cleaner, produce no smog, and contribute to a healthier planet. These EVs are not just a means of transportation; they symbolize a collective step toward a more nature-loving and sustainable future.

Have you ever wondered how paying to charge your electric vehicle (EV) could be made simpler? Well, so did we! As electric vehicles (EVs) gain popularity, driven by their environmental benefits, we uncovered a set of challenges that many EV users face — not just the transparency in the payment methods, but also the difficulty in finding charging stations. In this case study, we’ll take you through our journey of simplifying both the payment process and the overall charging experience for EV users.

The person who owns an Electric Vehicle.

I conducted user interviews to directly explore the experiences and challenges encountered by electric vehicle (EV) users. Here are the key insights:

After talking to the user, I compared similar platforms to analyze features and gather insights for electric vehicles (EV).

PlugShare, ChargerZone, and Charzer provide clear labeling of charging station status, helping users make informed decisions about station availability.

PlugShare and ChargerZone allow users to plan trips based on their EV, enhancing navigation and addressing range anxiety.

Across all apps, the provision of notifications regarding the EV’s charging needs and completion is a shared positive feature.

ChargerZone and Tata EV Charger offer the ability to reserve charging stations, saving users time and ensuring availability.

Direct payment methods, as seen in ChargerZone, are more user-friendly compared to the process of topping up wallets first, as seen in PlugShare and Tata EV Charger.

After examining the research data and key insights, the next phase of the project involved designing a holistic flow. I aimed to create a general flow that encompasses every stage from users searching for a charging station to safely disconnecting their electric vehicle (EV) once it’s fully charged.

Identified Problems at Each Stage.

After talking to users and looking at the EV charging flow, I discovered the biggest problem that most people encounter while charging their electric vehicles (EVs).

[Step 1] — Difficulty in finding charging stations & info about their availability.

[Step 3] — A lack of transparency in payment methods.

Mrs. Saniya is a working professional. She was very busy with her schedule. She relies on her EV for daily tasks and shorter distances. However, she finds it challenging to locate charging stations in unfamiliar areas. And experiences confusion when attempting to charge her EV due to the lack of transparency & inconsistent payment methods at different charging stations.

Mrs. Saniya wants to :

Quickly locate the charging stations. so that she can easily navigate through unfamiliar areas.

View straightforward payment methods so that she can easily complete transactions for charging his EV.

Before crafting a solution, I’ve identified a key metric to measure progress, with a central focus on increasing the conversion rate of charging sessions:

Conversion Rate Improvement: By addressing Mrs. Saniya’s challenges in locating charging stations and enhancing transparency in payment methods, we aim to create a more seamless and user-friendly charging experience, to increase satisfaction and efficiency in the overall process.

With insights from user research and innovative enhancements, we are poised to explore a step-by-step journey that transforms the user experience, to improve the entire flow of the EV charging experience.

Onboarding & Home Screen: Granting location access during onboarding enables users to discover nearby charging stations, especially in unfamiliar places seamlessly. The home screen map displays nearby charging stations, eliminating the need to know specific station names. Clear indicators show the availability status, ensuring users easily locate a working charging station.

The Trip Planner feature ensures a seamless trip-planning experience, allowing users to effortlessly plan and embark on extended journeys with their electric vehicles. Beyond mapping routes, it takes into account your EV’s current status and considers charging station availability. By optimizing the route and suggesting convenient charging stations, the Trip Planner ensures a hassle-free journey tailored to your charging needs.

By implementing a reservation system, users are guaranteed a slot, making it easy to find and use charging stations without long waits and improving the availability of the charging stations. Select your preferred date and time for a hassle-free EV charging experience.

Effortlessly find charging stations near you by searching with specific addresses. Our user-friendly interface displays real-time availability with clear labels, ensuring a seamless experience in locating and accessing charging facilities.

The account tab helps users access their account-related settings, including notifications and payment methods. It communicates that the Account Tab is the gateway to various settings related to the user’s account, encompassing features like notifications and payment methods.