Owen Resh Design+Marketing
2012 Aker Wade Sentinel EV Charger
How do you create positive experiences during the journey from online research to everyday upkeep? Align product development with the things customers care about.
By recharging batteries in minutes, fast charge technology helped thousands of fleets switch from internal combustion to cleaner, more efficient electric forklifts.
With interest in EVs growing, my client saw an opportunity to leverage their forklift charging technology into a new market: on-road EV fast charging.
But, my client's product development experience was limited to the B2B world: large grey boxes used by trained operators in controlled, indoor industrial environments.
In my role, I led a program to design their first EV fast charger, meeting the needs of a new set of owners and a whole new group of drivers.
Although they had a great reputation as a manufacturer of B2B equipment, the client had no experience in B2C.
Recognizing this could impair consideration from potential customers and distributors, my first move was to use design to shift their identity.
Exploration began with a sleek, wing-tip like theme designed to exploit EV’s advantage in convenience: chargers could go where gas pumps couldn't.
While the concept won attention, research was beginning to frame a new set of owner and user needs.
In response, I developed a theme with a strong consumer electronic aesthetic, familiar usage experience and compact footprint.
And by nesting the cable, we could reduce trip hazards and meet urban zoning requirements.
Early players in the EV space, particularly large retail oriented brands, wanted to get credit for their investment in clean technologies.
To address that need, I worked with our engineering partner's team to develop a build strategy in which the sides could be ordered in almost any Pantone color.
In addition, large backlit “fast charge” signage was available, and all surfaces were designed to accommodate logos - and to be easily cleaned.
Early players in the EV space, like large retail brands, wanted credit for investment in clean technologies.
To address their needs, I worked with our supplier's engineering team to develop a build strategy in which panels could be ordered in almost any Pantone color.
Surfaces could accommodate large logos and backlit signage could be ordered. I also made sure each panel could be easily cleaned.
During the recession, copper theft became a serious issue. When potential customers learned the charge cable contained up to 50lbs of copper, they saw "insurance claim."
By modifying a structural extrusion, we found an elegant way to integrate a locking roll-up door.
To simplify development, prototyping, usage and service, we used off-the-shelf hurricane shutters that could be locked and opened remotely.
Owners also wondered: how much help would customers and employees need? In response, I began the UI design brief with a question: “How do we use the UI to educate?”
We started by selecting a large touchscreen, using it to provide a step-by-step guide with fully rendered and animated instructions.
And in the same way early gas pumps allowed drivers to see gasoline quality, our UI showed the relationship between volts, amps and the speed at which energy flowed to the car.
With the help of Tharsus, our UK-based engineering and manufacturing partner, the Sentinel was launched in 2012.
The first unit was delivered to Magna, the global auto supplier, at its new E-Car EV subsidiary headquarters in Michigan.
Summary
Led the transformation of a B2B technology into a B2C experience, allowing a client to enter a new high-margin market.
Responsibilities
Portfolio Planning, Technology Roadmapping, Product Development, Project Management, Design Direction, Creative Design, Graphic Design, User Interface Design, User Experience, Component Packaging and Integration, Budgeting, Market Research, Voice of Customer Integration, Class A Surfacing, Supplier Management, Customized Sales Materials.