When one buys a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), it is expected that he will drive on electric power more often than on fuel. Doing so will help to minimize fuel costs, and minimize emissions. However, this is not the case following Toyota’s shocking realization. Toyota has noted that most owners of plug-in hybrids drive on fuel thus wasting the opportunity to utilize the electric power. These owners carry the extra weight of the batteries yet they never make use of them.
Toyota has come up with a solution to encourage hybrid drivers to drive more on battery power than on fuel. This is through an app that sends a gentle reminder to drivers whenever they are near a charging station.
What Toyota Found
After Toyota’s research team, the Toyota Research Institute, studied PHEV owners in the U.S and Japan, they discovered that PHEV owners use their vehicles like regular hybrids. These owners rarely plug in their vehicles. This means that they rarely use the electric-only features.
This habit costs PHEV owners. How? According to the research team, when owners don’t plug in, the PHEV becomes heavier, and more mechanically complex. It also becomes less efficient than a regular hybrid because its electric power is rarely in use.
The Hidden Cost of Not Plugging In
Here are the consequences of failing to plug in PHEVs:
- Increased environmental pollution, as the owners prefer driving on fuel rather than electric power.
- Wasted investment, when one pays for a battery, electric motor, and other charging accessories that are rarely used.
Toyota Finds a Way to Help Plug-In Hybrid Owners Charge More Often
To help plug-in hybrid owners charge their PHEVs more often, Toyota came up with a thoughtful solution that is backed by psychology. Toyota developed a prototype app, ChargeMinder, which uses behavioral science to encourage owners to plug in their PHEVs often.
This is what the app does to realize its purpose:
- Just-in-time nudges- the app sends a notification when a PHEV owner is near familiar charging spots and when they are at home.
- Positive feedback- the app provides encouraging feedback by providing a driver’s charing habits.
- Education – the app has quick in-app quizzes that teach owners why charging saves them money.
- Polite tone- The app sends gentle reminders to owners, such as “You might want to plug in your PHEV,” said Gill Pratt, CEO of the Toyota Research Institute.
Results from the ChargeMinder Trial
After the trial, the ChargeMinder prototype has shown encouraging results. In the U.S., PHEV owners increased charging frequency by about 10%. Owners of PHEVs who used the app saw a rise in satisfaction by 16% points.
In Japan, on average, each car added approximately 30 minutes of daytime charging. Charging during renewable power hours also went up by 59%.
These results indicate that Toyota’s smartphone app was having a significant impact. They also show how small reminders can influence big behavioral shifts.
Why So Many Owners Don’t Plug In
After carrying out research, Toyota found the following reasons why many owners don’t plug in:
- Convenience – Using fuel was more efficient than charging because some lack easy home or workplace charging systems.
- Forgetfulness – Many owners forgot because they had not formed a habit of charging especially when at home.
- Lack of awareness- Many PHEV owners said that they didn’t realize how much money they were losing and efficiency they were missing by not using electric power.
- Access issues- Some owners said that chargers were not available in their apartments and in some cities.
Why Toyota’s Approach Works
While behavioral nudges like ChargeMinder are cheap, they have a huge impact. When timed correctly, reminders can outperform generic alerts. By sending positive reminders, owners saw charging as rewarding in addition to the lessons that taught them the benefits of using electric power.
What Owners Can Do
Those who own PHEVs can maximize efficiency, save more by reducing fuel costs, and enhance their vehicle’s performance by:
- Plugging their PHEVs overnight.
- Installing the app or creating their own charging routines.
- Tracking electric vs gas miles to see which mode is better.
- Using electric power for short trips.
- Charging during renewable energy peaks, if possible.
Conclusion
The findings by Toyota’s research team are a wake-up call. It is no surprise that many PHEV owners rarely use their vehicle’s electric power. This habit wastes money and undermines the main purpose of PHEVs, which is to minimize emissions.
The ChargeMinder app has demonstrated that drivers can quickly change their habits. Toyota’s aim is to encourage PHEV owners to plug in their vehicles often, to save more on fuel and realize the efficiency for which PHEVs were designed.