Future Archetypes of EV Charging

As one of two sectors that the class focused on, EV charging represented a significant opportunity for growth and investment over the next several years. The class underwent a Research through Design approach to unfold the complexity when looking at everyday infrastructures to embed strategic intent while designing at the nexus of multiple systems, stakeholders, levels, and intelligence. Both projects went through a series of multiple prototyping rounds building off of each other and produced a total of sixteen different prototypes, each representing a unique archetype. The last few weeks of the class were spent evaluating the previous rounds and bundling the most promising features to create uniquely investable archetypes. In this process, two major archetypes were developed: Mobile Charging, and Energy Exchange. Mobile charging services can offer a flexible deployment of charging in difficult situations as well as grid storage capability to utilities, in addition to offering a convenience benefit to consumers. Energy Exchange allows drivers or fleet owners to be compensated for supplying energy back into the grid via bidirectional chargers during periods of high demand, reducing grid emergencies and increasing the value of EV ownership.