Bridging the Knowledge Gap of Cold Temperature Range Impacts - A Design Framework for Educating Battery Electric Vehicle Drivers

Sammanfattning

As the automotive industry accelerates towards Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs),understanding their efficiency has become a central challenge for modern drivers.BEV batteries are heavily affected by cold temperatures, which often lead to rangeanxiety in drivers as it drastically lowers vehicle range during the winter. This thesis addresses this issue by exploring the knowledge drivers need to manage winterdriving efficiency, specifically focusing on the impacts of HVAC systems (Heating,Ventilation and Air Conditioning), driving speed, and temporarily unavailable battery capacity, and identifying the most effective strategies to deliver this information.By translating these complex technical data points into an intuitive user interface,this research aims to bridge the gap between BEV technical factors and the driver’sreal-world experience.To achieve this, the project utilized a user-centered methodology guided by theBritish Design Council’s Double-Diamond framework. The problem space was iteratively explored and narrowed down through four data collection phases: an exploratory study, a survey, semi-structured interviews, and interactive co-design sessions. The qualitative and quantitative insights were combined into user personasand a list of user requirements. These assets informed the development of two initiallow-fidelity design concepts, which were ultimately merged into a single, cohesiveinterface concept based on user feedback. The final results led to eight design recommendations addressing the visual and functional architecture of a driver educationconcept. Specifically, the findings show that information should be integrated intoa mobile framework, such as the Volvo Cars app, using a layered approach thatprioritizes clean, intuitive visuals over dense text. Further, an interactive parameterin combination with clear information and actionable measures is recommended tomake technical insights and variables feel trustworthy and directly relatable to thedriver’s daily life. Lastly, the research results indicate that this educational conceptshould be introduced during the initial vehicle onboarding phase, while seamlesslyintegrated within the application for contextual, on-demand use.