USER-CHI is a H2020 research and innovation project, aimed at unlocking the massive potential of electromobility in Europe. This will be achieved by integrating different innovative charging technologies with a holistic perspective, putting the user at the centre and empowering it, and exploiting the synergies between electromobility and the process of greening and smartification of the grid. This process is taking place for achieving the energy transition in Europe, that together with the integration of novel technological tools, business models and regulatory measures, will transform the current scenario. This transformation will generate a financially attractive ecosystem, which improves the user experience of EV drivers. The integrated smart solutions, novel business models and new regulatory framework conditions will be demonstrated and validated in 5 urban areas all along the European territory: Barcelona metropolitan area (Spain), Rome (Italy), Berlin (Germany), Budapest (Hungary), and Turku (Finland). In addition, these 5 sites act as connecting nodes of the key Mediterranean and Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T corridors, which will also be part of demonstration actions. During the project’s first year, The Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) is leading the generation of the technical specifications for defining new charging infrastructures. This process will be addressed following the user experience principles, achieving a deep knowledge of EV drivers' charging preferences and patterns in order to increase their acceptance. EV supply equipment specifications will be generated both, for slow charging and ultrafast charging applications, proposing a framework for the definition and implementation of USER-CHI solutions, ensuring that they are well-aligned with users’ needs and expectations. This paper will focus on the presentation of the results generated along qualitive user research. These results point out that the EVs acceptance and the technology maturity are closely related to the charging infrastructure broaden, mainly in inter-urban areas. Real time information, usage regulation of charging points and the improvement of charging system’s using experience (time cost reduction and plug standardisation), also arise as key factors.

Dr.-Ing. Jose Solaz, Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia, Universitat Politècnica de València, València, Spain, SPAIN Dr. Eng. Juan Giménez, Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia, Universitat Politècnica de València, València, Spain, SPAIN Dr. Amparo López, Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia, Universitat Politècnica de València, València, Spain, SPAIN Ms. Raquel Marzo, Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia, Universitat Politècnica de València, València, Spain, SPAIN