ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the groundbreaking international field trials on electric vehicle (EV) usage that were undertaken to define user requirements for the BMW Group's new EV BMW i3. The Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California at Davis has a long tradition in exploring alternative fuel vehicles and plug-in hybrid EVs. The first BMW ActiveE user study with 15 private customers was undertaken between December 2011 and March 2012. The study design provided the customers with several opportunities to share their opinions. Research on how innovations gain market acceptance suggests that especially disruptive innovations should be designed according to a user-centred design and evaluation approach. The results from fundamental field trials of EV usage helped in defining customer requirements as well as in setting the benchmarks for later and more specific user testing. BMW ActiveE plays a significant role by providing the basis for evaluation iterations in user research on EV specific functions.
