MINI E powered by Vattenfall V2.0

Project Partners

• BMW AG
• Vattenfall Europe

Funding:

Federal Environment Ministry (BMU)

Topic:

The project MINI E powered by Vattenfall 2.0 is closely related to the pilot project "MINI E BERLIN - powered by Vattenfall" regarding design and content of the study. Its greater objective is accelerating market acceptance and the use of electric vehicles in order to increase their environmental benefit. Here the analysis and improvement of the Wind-to-Vehicle (W2V) concept is of outstanding importance. W2V means to utilize renewable energy, especially wind energy, to charge electric vehicles. Main goal is to increase the correlation between wind supply and aggregated charging demand. In doing so, the users' willingness to support this concept plays an essential role.

Secondly, the user-acceptance of W2V should be raised by additional services. For instance, applications are to be developed which assist the EV driver in finding public charging stations. Especially the availability of vehicles at public charging stations allows for systematic wind feed-in to charge electric vehicles.

Selected applications and user groups will be investigated in a field study, so the findings from the pilot study can be implemented successfully in the future e-mobility system. Including new user groups in particular is expected to provide a higher match of electric mobility and wind energy, thus improving the potential to raise the quota of renewable energies.

During the field phase of the project MINI E powered by Vattanfall 2.0, 70 electric vehicles are going to be tested by various user groups in different scenarios.

Objective measures are, for instance, consumption, duration of use and charging as well as data concerning the route profile. These data are further supplemented by subjective evaluation of usability and attitudes towards the environment and mobility.

Based on repeated user inquiry and continously recorded user data, a scientifically sound estimation of the potential of EVs for W2V will be possible. Furthermore, user assistance systems are being evaluated and suggestions for their further development are being made.

Focus areas of the chair of Cognitive & Engineering Psychology within the project MINI E powered by Vattenfall 2.0:

• Study design and conception
• Assessment of user expectations, experience and behavior regarding electric mobility
• Identification of strengths and drawbacks of electric vehicles within certain applicatios
• Participative-iterative user research of additional services in the context of electric mobility