Traveling with electric vehicles introduces new challenges in aspects of planning and operation. On one hand it is vital to acknowledge the fact that range and flexibility (charging periods) of electric vehicles are limited so that information on location and availability of charging stations must be provided during the planning of trips. On the other hand it is important that (due to the lack of range and flexibility) the integration of other modes of transportation is seamless during planning and conduct of trips with electric vehicles. In order to achieve a higher level of user acceptance within the approach, the individual properties and capabilities of each customer are critical for success. Therefore it is important to automatically take demands (e.g. low costs of a trip), capabilities (e.g. owners of electric vehicles or rail cards like 'Bahncard') and individual types of travel behaviour (e.g. periodical trips vs. unique trips) into account.
The information and assistance functions offered within this service are targeted at end users and are conceptualized to be used via mobile devices (e.g. smart phones or tablets). The communication includes multi-mode, customer-oriented trip planning and also the delivery of push notifications, which aim to inform and assist the customer during his trip by providing useful information on weather conditions, traffic jams, etc.
The service consists of the following components: