Toyota Tests App That Changes How Drivers Charge

Autonomous driving and EV batteries have been getting a lot press lately, but this time Toyota is showing how behavioral science might have a huge role in lowering emissions. In their research they found that when drivers charge their EV’s, they have a huge impact on emissions.

What they found

The U.S. found that PHEV drivers charged 10% more often with behavioral prompts, and Japan found that PHEV and BEV drivers changed to charging 59% more at the times when there is renewable energy. Which basically adds 30 minutes of clean-energy charging every day.

After all of this research, they found that PHEV drivers reported 100% satisfaction.

Why it matters

Charging habits are as important as the tech it uses, and without regular and well-timed charging, EV’s can’t deliver their full carbon reduction potentials. Behavioral nudges are cheap, fast to deploy, and are very effective.

The app

The app, that was made by Toyota’s Research Institute’s Human-Centered AI team, is called ChargerMinder. And it uses science-backed nudges like, timely reminders, which are 50% more effective compared to normal prompts, positive reinforcement like streaks, summaries, and messages, and short quizzes to improve your knowledge.

All of this can integrate into the car and charging data to make even better personalized tips.

The bigger picture

These behavioral interventions could start being adopted by other EV brands and this also helps Toyota’s global carbon neutrality project. But one of the greatest things is how it helps with gaps between human habits and the potential of the technology.

What’s next

Toyota is planing to expand their testing into more personalized and data-driven types of approaches. The focus is not to only make charging more frequent, but better and more clean energy aligned.

Would you try an app like ChargeMinder if it could help you cut your emissions and save money charging? Let us know in the comments!