Smart Charging study 2022

Usage drivers and barriers of smart charging

The study shows the readiness to use smart charging and the biggest usage drivers and barriers for the 10 most important smart charging use cases., i.e.

  • Grid-friendly Charging (GFC) and
  • Bidirectional Charging (BDC).

Furthermore, the study examines

  • the expectation of incentivisation,
  • the trust of the users in the different providers and
  • the question of who integrates whom in smart charging.

The Smart Charging study was conducted online in January and February 2022 among 1,800 e-car owners in the Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The results include a PDF report (approx. 109 pages) and additional analyses of the data on request.

Download study Excerpt

Contents and added value of the Smart Charging Study

Content of the Smart Charging Study

Segmentation criteria:

  • Socio-demographic data (age, gender, etc.)
  • Housing situation (EFH vs. MFH)
  • Loading locations
  • Charging technology at home
  • Investment readiness
  • Charging type
  • Relevance and general interest in smart charging

Investigated use cases:

  • Grid-friendly charging @home (in a single-family house with photovoltaic system)
  • Grid-friendly charging @home (in a single-family house without a photovoltaic system)
  • Grid-friendly charging @home (in apartment building)
  • Grid-friendly charging @public
  • Grid-friendly charging @work
  • Bidirectional charging @home (V2H in a single-family home)
  • Bidirectional charging @home (V2G in a single-family home)
  • Bidirectional charging @home (V2G in apartment buildings)
  • Variable tariffs @public
  • Vehicle-To-Load

Product market fit of all 10 investigated use cases:

  • Determine the product market fit and the target groups that can be reached for all use cases.
  • Prioritised usage drivers for all use cases
  • Prioritised barriers to use for all use cases

Expected incentivisation:

  • Variants for incentivisation (general, EFH vs. MFH)
  • Discount expectation for flexibility and mark-up readiness for prioritised supply
  • Expectation Compensation for kWh withdrawn and recharged
  • Invoice transparency and expected invoice information

Integration of Smart Charging:

  • Confidence in the technology implementation of different providers (NDL)
  • Confidence in handling personal data (NDL)
  • App integration: Preferred providers (NDL)
  • Confidence in the technology implementation of different providers (BDL)
  • Trust in handling personal data (BDL)
  • App integration: Preferred providers (BDL)
  • Data protection concerns
  • App integration: reducing complexity
  • App integration: setting parameters
  • Preferred suppliers for wallbox, charging cable, HEMS, battery storage, PV system and control app
Target group of the survey

For the study, female buyers, purchasers and owners of fully battery electric e-cars were surveyed. Each use case has a different target group and always a sample between N = 100 and over 200:

  • Grid-friendly charging @home/EFH with PV: EFH residents with PV system
  • Grid-friendly charging @home/EFH without PV: EFH residents without PV system
  • Grid-friendly charging @home/MFH: MFH residents
  • Grid-friendly charging @work: EV drivers with charging option at the employer’s premises
  • Grid-friendly charging @public: EV drivers charging in public
  • Bidirectional charging @home/EFH Vehicle-to-Home (V2H): EFH residents with PV system
  • Bidirectional charging @home/EFH Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): EFH residents without PV system
  • Bidirectional charging @home/MFH Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): MFH residents
  • Special case Variable tariffs: all
  • Special case Vehicle-to-Load (V2L): all
Added value and benefits for after-sales managers, dealers and dealer trainers and hotline operators

The study shows technology providers (hardware and software) and providers of services for smart charging which technology experiences the highest acceptance and thus sales expectations with which target group. Providers also learn which prioritised levers they can use to increase the acceptance and thus the sales of their offers and which messages they can use to best reach their target customers.

The study offers business developers the basis for calculating take rates and business cases.

The study shows product developers and product managers how which function can be integrated to what extent in order to continue to be accepted as “generic” from the user’s point of view. An example: Should car manufacturers offer energy management systems for the home? Do customers see the control of smart charging technologies with the energy supplier, the home technology provider or the vehicle manufacturer?

UScale focus studies: User studies on electromobility

Since 2018, UScale has been systematically surveying e-car drivers about their expectations and experiences at all touchpoints of the e-mobile customer journey. An overview with all UScale focus studies can be found HERE.

If you have any questions, please contact us at contact@uscale.digital.