Advantages of artificial intelligence for charging electric vehicles
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in our everyday lives – and it also holds enormous potential in the field of electromobility. Smart charging solutions could significantly improve the charging experience for electric vehicle drivers. In this article, we take a look at the advantages AI offers in electric vehicle charging and show how it can optimally solve users’ challenges.
Anna’s problem with the public charging station: A typical scenario
To understand the challenges faced by electric vehicle drivers, let’s consider an example: Anna, 32, lives in a medium-sized city and works as a software developer. She recently started driving an electric car with a 200 km range.
One day, Anna has to spontaneously visit a friend 120 km away. She plans to charge at her friend’s house and discovers two options in her charging app: a 22 kW AC charger near her friend’s apartment (currently occupied) and an HPC (High Power Charger) charger at the highway exit. Concerned that the AC charger might still be occupied when she arrives, she opts for the HPC charger, even though it’s more expensive.
But upon her arrival, she discovers that the AC charger is now available. Frustrated, she asks herself: Could she have avoided this situation?
How human decision heuristics influence the charging experience
Anna’s decision to use the HPC loader is based on three psychological decision heuristics:
- Availability heuristic : Your last experience with a blocked AC charger has shaped your perception.
- Representativeness heuristic: She assumes that her friend’s AC charger is just as busy as the one in her own neighborhood.
- Adaptation heuristic: Their general expectation that AC chargers are often occupied strongly influences their decision.
These heuristics led Anna to make a suboptimal decision that cost her more money and caused frustration.
Why statistical information is often not enough
Statistical information such as usage data could help Anna make better decisions. For example, her charging app could calculate the probability that an AC charger is available based on historical data and current information.
However, incorporating additional factors such as weather, traffic, or local events would make the calculations significantly more complex. Performing such analyses manually is impractical for humans. This is where AI comes in.
How artificial intelligence can revolutionize the charging experience
AI can process historical data and real-time information to make accurate predictions. Thanks to neural networks—inspired by the human brain—AI can:
- Detect behavioral patterns: AI analyzes historical usage data and combines it with real-time information such as weather and traffic.
- Make accurate predictions: It calculates the probability that a charging station will be available in the near future.
- Process data efficiently: Unlike humans, AI remains rational and considers all available information equally.
In Anna’s case, her charging app could have used AI to predict that the AC charger would most likely be available in time. This would have allowed her to avoid unnecessary costs at the HPC charger.
Why AI should be accessible for all charging applications
Current charging apps offer many useful features, but often lack intelligent solutions that truly help EV drivers find available charging points. The need for advanced technology is particularly acute in areas where the number of public charging points is growing more slowly than the number of electric vehicles.
Service4Charger leverages innovative AI technologies to improve the charging experience for all users. Integrating AI could transform charging apps from a “frustrating” to a “best-in-class” charging experience.
