Blog > What We Learned from Meeting EV Drivers

On the Road: What We Learned from Meeting EV Drivers

By Emma Banville

Published on October 28, 2025 (Updated on November 10, 2025)

Public charging innovation isn’t just about technology. It starts with understanding EV drivers’ real needs. At ChargeHub, our connection with users drives the design of our products and services, ensuring a seamless and intuitive charging experience.

Summary

A Field-Based Approach
Profiles Encountered and Observed Realities
Key Findings
Limitations and Next Steps

A Field-Based Approach

With this in mind, on September 5, our team conducted an observational study at a busy highway rest stop, a strategic charging site with more than ten ports. Our experts, Mikael Pilotte (Product Manager) and Sophie Morissette (UX Researcher), met with approximately ten drivers of diverse profiles.

The study had three key objectives:

Gain a deeper understanding of the travel habits of EV drivers.
Discuss the public charging activation process.
Validate key aspects of the charging experience, including:
1. Trust in established networks
2. Familiarity with activation methods
3. Access to up-to-date, reliable data
4. The value of an active EV community
5. The need for simplicity

These on-site discussions confirmed several insights while highlighting opportunities to enhance the charging experience. They also revealed distinct user realities: travellers passing through, rental EV drivers, and regular local users.

“Meeting EV drivers face-to-face allows us to understand their habits and challenges far beyond what data or typical feedback can show.”
— Sophie Morissette, UX Researcher

Profiles Encountered and Observed Realities

Travellers: Planning and Reliability Above All

For passing travellers, the Circuit Électrique app is often the reference choice, frequently recommended by rental companies.

“I was told to use the Circuit Électrique, so I didn’t look further.” – Traveller.

Others turn to more familiar tools, such as Google Maps or their vehicle’s built-in navigation system. While these options inspire confidence, their limitations quickly become apparent: difficulty checking station availability, unexpected detours, and lack of precision are all sources of frustration for drivers who value reliability and a seamless journey.

Rental Drivers: A Need for Guidance

Drivers renting an EV are generally less familiar with public charging. Without prior information, they must navigate the process themselves to figure out how to activate charging.

When a charger doesn’t work right away, they often hesitate to find another. Here, the RFID card becomes a key tool: simple, fast, and reassuring — especially for those less comfortable with mobile apps.

“The charging experience should be designed for occasional drivers as much as regular users. When someone rents an EV for the first time, they shouldn’t feel lost at the charging station.”
– Sophie Morissette, UX Researcher

Key Findings

Trust in Established Networks

In Quebec, EV drivers naturally favour well-established networks such as Circuit Électrique and Flo. Their exhaustive coverage inspires trust and makes them the default choice for most drivers.

RFID Card: A Tool for Simplicity

Offered by these major networks, the RFID card remains unfamiliar to many new EV drivers. This physical tool greatly simplifies charging: instant activation without complex steps. For occasional rental drivers or regular users, the RFID card is a reliable and reassuring method of activation.

The Key Role of the EV Community

EV drivers exchanging information at a charging station

Field interviews also highlighted the value of an active community. For instance, a driver who couldn’t stop their charging session was assisted thanks to information already available in our app. This incident illustrates two key points:

The importance of having up-to-date and accessible data.
The value of community contributions in enriching and updating available information.

In situations where an offline charger or faulty port can quickly cause frustration, the ChargeHub community makes a real difference. Real-time updates and shared experiences help reduce risks and improve reliability.

Simplicity Is Key

Public charging is still a learning experience for many new EV drivers. During their first encounters, some are unsure how to start charging — highlighting a significant issue: ease of use is crucial for EV adoption.

The adoption of tools that simplify the experience, such as Circuit Électrique’s Autocharge, is strong. Users tend to stick with a service until a more straightforward alternative emerges.

Limitations and Next Steps

This experience mainly reflects the reality in Quebec. To deepen our insights, it will be necessary to replicate the study with other users and explore the U.S. context.

“What we learned in Quebec is valuable, but to understand EV drivers truly, we need to repeat the experience elsewhere, especially in the U.S., where networks and challenges are far more diverse,” says Mikaël Pilotte, Product Manager.

This field day confirmed that trust, simplicity, and guidance are at the heart of the charging experience. At ChargeHub, we turn these needs into concrete solutions, ensuring every EV driver can charge with confidence. Meeting users remains the best way to innovate and build public charging solutions that genuinely meet their needs, both here and elsewhere.