(How) can users be motivated to accept a lower minimum range when using smart charging? Results from an online study in Germany

Smart charging is an effective approach to balance the grid in times of ‘green’ energy shortage or overload (Wong et al., 2023). However, smart charging requires more flexibility from users, such as accepting longer charging times and smaller range buffers (Marxen et al., 2023), which may reduce users’ willingness to participate in smart charging (Kämpfe et al., 2022). Behavioural interventions have been shown to be effective in promoting smart charging decisions among BEV users (Kramer et al., 2023). In an online experiment (N = 74) we tested the effectiveness of two interventions motivating users to accept smaller driving ranges: a coping-orientated intervention with energy-efficient driving tips (n = 20) and a monetary intervention (n = 20) against a control group (n = 29). Participants had to choose a preferred minimum range for a hypothetical 150 km trip (from 150 to 400 km) before and after the intervention. Across groups, the preferred range declined following the intervention. A condition × group interaction revealed that only the coping intervention produced a significant reduction (−27 km; p = .002), whereas the monetary intervention had no significant effect (−16 km; p = .082). Thus, users’ range preferences and their mobility flexibility need to be considered when promoting smart charging.