Development of the Online Platform InCharge: A Design Science Research Approach

Abstract

We are experiencing significant changes concerning mobility throughout the world: due to climate changes, we need to seek more ecological alternatives to the traditional gas-powered automobile. That is how electric cars have appeared as an option to fight the spread of greenhouse gases. However, with the exponential growth of the electric car market, creating a wide network of car chargers was necessary. Therefore, we can experience this network not growing as much as the market is and that the available platforms do not satisfy the users. This is stated on a questionnaire made for this project. The respondents saw the lack of information regarding the charge availability and functionality and having no possibility to book a specific charger beforehand as the main things that have to be changed inside those platforms. This chapter presents the development of the platform InCharge, available both online and with applications to Android and iOS operating systems, that seeks to solve the problems stated in the previous paragraph and facilitate the management of the charging points, not just for the users but also for the owners of those charging points. This project was guided by the Design Science Research Methodology, where it is explained every step from the beginning until the presented prototype. The prototype was also evaluated. It was concluded that the platform offers advantages when compared to others.