Smart charging of EVs: Would you share your data for money?

Scientific Conference (2022, December 11)

Many governments worldwide aim to eventually replace most combustion engines on the roads with electric vehicles (EVs). But this change causes an additional load on the electrical grid, especially if many ... [more ▼]

Many governments worldwide aim to eventually replace most combustion engines on the roads with electric vehicles (EVs). But this change causes an additional load on the electrical grid, especially if many EVs are charged simultaneously at peak times. Smart charging is a solution to better distribute the load throughout the day or night, while considering consumer preferences. For home charging, the idea is for EV users to always plug in their EVs when they are at home, and for the energy supplier to then decide when to charge which EV. By using (sensitive) consumer data, such as charging history, location of the smartphone and calendar information, the energy supplier can plan and optimize the charging of the EVs even better. In a survey, we seek to understand which of these data consumers are willing to share for smart charging, and what factors, such as privacy concerns and data sharing habits, influence this decision. Furthermore, in an experiment within the survey, we investigate whether consumers are more willing to share data if they receive monetary incentives. Our research design is based on the theoretical framework of Barth and de Jong (2017). 20 participants took part in the pretest, after which we adjusted the survey. We then shared the survey through various channels. [less ▲]

Towards an evaluation of incentives and nudges for smart charging

in Proceedings of the 30th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2022) (2022)

Electric vehicles (EVs) are an important cornerstone to achieve transport decarbonization. Still, simultaneous charging of EVs when home charging increases peak demand, especially during evenings. Smart ... [more ▼]

Electric vehicles (EVs) are an important cornerstone to achieve transport decarbonization. Still, simultaneous charging of EVs when home charging increases peak demand, especially during evenings. Smart charging allows optimal distribution of load, thus preventing peak loads. Nevertheless, this incorporates certain risks for the EV user, e.g., unavailability of EVs for unplanned events. This might lead to a lack of user acceptance. This paper focuses on specific incentives and nudges, motivating users to adopt smart charging. We conducted an integrative literature review, bringing together literature from different areas. Possible incentives and nudges are monetary incentives, feedback, gamification, or smart charging as a default-setting. We conducted three focus groups with 13 EV users in Luxembourg to get first insights into which of those incentives and nudges they prefer. Preliminary results indicate that incentives and nudges should be individualized. In the future, we would use these first insights to develop a large-scale survey. [less ▲]