Shaping Awareness Around Electric Vehicle Driver's Power Load on the Electric Grid

Abstract: This thesis researched how electric vehicle users in Uppsala county could be encouraged to change their charging habits, such that they avoid contributing to power peaks in the electrical grid, using only non-monetary incentives. The application area was in Dansmästaren, a parking building with multiple charging stations for electrical vehicles. By creating personas based on the existing user group of electrical vehicle users, as well as analysing the environment in Dansmästaren, a set of design concepts that would function as feedback systems inside the building were suggested, using theory from user-centered design, persuasive design, and “Design for Sustainable Behaviour”. These concepts were then evaluated against real users from the user group, which wound up determining that the most effective system was a parking app allowing users to directly choose a more sustainable charging option. Indirect methods such as informative feedback systems were still capable of complementing the parking app.