Improving the Electric Vehicle Driver Experience

Despite improvements in battery technology, electric vehicles (EVs) make up only 3% of all automobiles in the world in 2013. Our team has discovered that confusion over inconsistent range prediction is common in EVs. This confusion is based in the differences between power consumption in an EV and a petrol car, and by drivers having to adapt their understanding of how they control energy usage in their vehicle. The perception that EVs lack the flexibility of petrol cars influences a driver’s decision and willingness to make the transition to electric vehicles. By designing a solution which helps drivers understand and control their personal energy use, we hope to increase general acceptance of EVs as a positive transportation option.

Our sponsor Electric Mobility Norway (EMN) is a consortium of research institutions and companies invested in the future of electric transportation and research. EMN’s goal is to strengthen and accumulate technical knowledge to ensure that Norway will be one of the most attractive areas for development and commercialization of EV-based transport solutions. This year, EMN has recognized range anxiety as a key inhibitor to EV adoption, and has challenged our team to explore this anxiety in the context of Norway.

Our goal is to increase the number of satisfied electric vehicle drivers in Norway. CRUISE has been designed, built, and tested to increase driver confidence and facilitate the transition from a petrol car to an electric vehicle. Drivers use CRUISE, pictured above, to simulate the experience of owning an EV, while in the comfort of their existing petrol vehicles. Instead of asking drivers to change their lifestyle or the way they drive, CRUISE is a safe way for drivers to test which routes are easily completed within the range of their “EV” and which routes may be difficult to complete even on a fully charged battery.

CRUISE employs vibration feedback using DriveBands installed around the pedals. These DriveBands interface wirelessly with the SenseBoard and CRUISE app, which analyzes driving habits to provide targeted feedback and incentives for helping drivers understand and manage their energy usage. There are three main contributors to wasted energy when driving: 1) hard acceleration, 2) hard braking, and 3) excessive top speeds. When any of these events occur, instant feedback is provided to the driver immediately through haptic and auditory feedback, helping the driver to make quick adjustments and clearly understand how their actions affect drive efficiency. In addition, this information is stored and available to the driver immediately after the drive. Early testing has shown positive gains towards achieving this outcome and initial results reveal immediate improvements in poor driving habits (as compared to control testing) when users receive in-car feedback via the vibrating pedal.

Rather than focus on mitigating anxiety, our goal is to raise a driver’s confidence in his ability to drive an electric vehicle. For drivers considering making the transition to electric vehicles, CRUISE represents a logical way to determine whether an EV is a good fit for their transportation needs. CRUISE simulates EV range using data based on distance, route, and altitude, in addition to data on the driver collected from each individual drive (degrees of acceleration, braking, and speed). Thus, the specific results and recommendations generated by the system are tailored to the individual. Over a few weeks of use, CRUISE evaluates how compatible a user’s lifestyle is for driving an electric vehicle. Armed with this data, users should be able to make a confident decision regarding an EV purchase.

Team EMN consists of graduate students from Stanford University, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Buskerud University College.