Autonomous Agent

Seamless Electric Vehicle Charging based upon Blockchain Technology

Bosch-Cars that negotiate with charging stations

Frankfurter allgemeine- Was Bosch mit der Blockchain vorhat

Heise-Bosch zeigt "intelligente" Ladesäule

Overview

Autonomic Agent is an electric vehicle charging system that considers rate negotiation, payment method, and a user's individuality based on blockchains. The system is delivered with an in-vehicle interface that is combined with vehicle control unit technology (VCU) to allow the vehicle to comprehensively manage battery related information.

My Role

UX / UI Design

Responsibilities

User Research, Concept Development (UX / UI), UI Responsive Design, Prototyping (UI), Animation

Designer

Hyun-Ah Kim

Cooperation Partner

Bosch Software Innovation GmbH

Duration

2018 Summer Semester (MA Semester)

Project Background

" I want the benefit of an electric car, not the limits.."

Today, the most common public opinion about electric cars refers to their short range-limitation and a lack of charging facilities. Range anxiety refers to the mental fatigue and stress caused by driving an electric vehicle and worrying that the battery will run out. Many people agree that undertaking long distance trips by electric cars is a difficult endeavour. If the destination is unfamiliar, it is necessary to investigate the locations of charging stations in advance.

Project Objective

Seamless UX for EV-charging based upon Blockchain Technology

The project goal is to support the electric vehicle (EV) charging process with seamless UX for the user that fulfils ones individual need via data sharing based on blockchain technology. This will allow electric vehicle users to enjoy a pleasant journey without the anxieties related to charging their electric vehicles or any further preparation.

In the end, there should be no visible difference between electric cars and internal combustion engine based vehicles in terms of pure travelling and preparation. In this project, my role is to identify the problems faced by the users involved in charging the electric vehicle and derive needs, from the user's point of view of the complex components associated with charging the electric vehicle, leading to a positive experience.

Strategy

Designing Trust into UX

Autonomous Agent is a blockchain-based operating system. The blockchain technology is a new technology that will serve as a crucial role for the industry 4.0, automating data-related processes to expedite and secure the entire process. Providing users with a user experience that builds trust between such new technologies and users in order to accept and effectively utilize these new technologies quickly is a critical challenge.

 To address this challenge, I have approached the issue of designing trust in new technology from both sides of the human and the technology and proposed a solution for defining the roles of new technology services and how to deliver efficiently positive technical effects to a user.

´The roles of new technology services / Efficient delivery of technical effects to a user´

User Research

User Journey/ Customer Profile / Value Proposition

The user journey map has visualized based on an article currently written by an electric car user about his DC-charging in detail on his blog. The user used DC-charging during the long journey and wrote in detail on his blog about his long-distance experience and charging of the electric vehicle.

Top Findings & Opportunity Areas

01 Smart Charging Plan

Long detours & unexpected situations- In order to find a charging point on a long distance trip, users must consider charging stations as an additional destination and cannot just enter the final destination of their journey. Current users of electric vehicles need smart charging plans taking into account the overall route to the charging station in relation to the ultimate destination.

02 Enjoyable Experience

Long waiting time- An electric car takes a relatively long time to charge, the user must wait during this period of time often perceived as meaningless. The new system considers the long charging time and can determine which charging point is best suited for the user, taking into account the location and type of the surrounding facilities. It allows the user the opportunity to make his stay more comfortable and pleasant.

 03 Reliable Payment with Blockchain Technology 

Payment- There are currently many ways to pay for charging a vehicle. Although this provides convenience, it is difficult for users to manage the details. In order to overcome this, it is possible to implement an account administrated with blockchain technology connected to the vehicle, and thus to pay the total charge cost more safely and quickly while allowing access to the transaction details at all times.

04 Seamless Charging Experience

Lack of real-time information about charging points- Today, users face unexpected and unpleasant situations because they lack real-time information about charging points. Using the blockchain’s smart contract, the new system can provide users with real-time information about charging points and reserve a charging pole at the same time. It will proceed with charging as soon as users reach the charging station and will automatically provide a seamless charging experience that will lead to payment the process is finished.

Solution

Service Blueprint/ Information Architecture

The service blueprint helps evaluate the gap between the ideal situation and reality and supports finding a practical solution. The incidents have been assumed and described that could happen to the user throughout the course of the journey from the moment the user gets into the vehicle to find a charging point using the system and the corresponding response of the system.

This allowed the system to define what information the user should be exposed to and what technology was needed to support this process. Information architecture is a map visualizing which information will be exposed to the user in this context when he faces the system. By this means, the user and the information interface were collectively taken into account to analyze the context, characteristics, and contents of the information, and to define the method of exposure, such as elevation structure and grouping.

User Profile

Wallet / Comfortable Level / Smart Charging

User profiles are divided into three main categories - a wallet based on blockchain technology, a comfortable level that allows the agent to find the appropriate charging station for the user and EV-charging to set the conditions for charging the vehicle.

Wallet: The Agent has a wallet based on blockchain technology. This allows users to pay for EV-charging in a secure manner. In the wallet, the user is able to see the current state and details of transactions.

Comfortable Level: Comfort level allows users to determine the factors Autonomous agent to consider when selecting charging stations for the comfort of their charging experiences. First, users 

can determine their preferred POI type. Furthermore, users can specify a detour distance to find a suitable charging station and the minimum battery level by arriving at a charging station.

EV-Charging: In the EV-charging category, users can set a base rate for Smart charging. In addition, the user can find out more details about times and locations the vehicle has been charged previously, and the full information of the travels at that time in charging history.

Roadshow

2018

Bosch Software Innovation GmbH is planning a roadshow based upon these UX & UI: Electric vehicles will be driven from Stuttgart central station to Berlin central station in 2018 with the prototype to assess the usefulness and feasibility of the system. This prototype will also be installed and tested in a Jaguar i-Pace (Driving range: 480 km). A Journalist will be invited to objectively report on this roadshow.