The Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association. Four days to answer the question, “Does an electric car fit into my life?”

The assignment

The Electric Vehicle Association has access to vast amounts of electric vehicle data: consumption, prices, technical specifications, and charging networks. The task was to design a service that makes all of this useful for people who are unsure about making the switch from their trusty fossil-fuel car.

The insight

I know this user. My family has owned both fossil-fuel cars and electric cars, and I’ve seen the hesitation up close. It’s rarely about horsepower or battery chemistry. It’s about “Will my daily life still work?” So the service doesn’t just present data. It answers one personal question: What would your days look like with an electric car?

Design moves

• One field to fill in. You enter your license plate number. The service retrieves data about your car from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and builds each comparison around it. No forms, no account, no friction.
• A layer of translation. Technical language becomes lived value. “Heat pump” becomes “a warm, ice-free car every morning.” kWh becomes “always a full tank when leaving home.”
• The winter switch. A switch in the simulation that shows range and charging needs under Norwegian winter conditions. Most electric car marketing avoids this topic. Showing it is what makes the rest credible.
• Transparent climate accounting. Small info icons open explanations of the numbers in plain language, instead of asking people to take them at face value.

1. 1

   Enter your license plate

   One field. Data about your car is retrieved from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

2. 2

   See what you save

   Cost savings compared to the car you drive today.

3. 3

   Simulate your daily routine

   Charging stations, winter mode, and tips that show a realistic daily routine and range for you.

4. 4

   Make a confident decision

   Transparent and honest climate accounting.

The choice I remember

My first version opened with a long list of questions to map out the user’s needs. It was thorough, and it was boring. I scrapped it and replaced it with a short, interactive flow. The service became simpler and more user-friendly, and nothing important was lost. It sounds like a small change, but it set the tone for the entire concept.

Behind the scenes

The deliverables also covered the system side: which data sources feed what, a phased rollout starting with an MVP, and manual data entry as a fallback if the lookup against the registration number were to go down. I design better when I know what the system can actually deliver.

Honest limitations

Four days don’t allow for in-depth insight work. I relied on informal checks with family and friends who collectively have experience with both electric and fossil-fuel vehicles, as well as on my own knowledge of the user group. If I had another week, the first thing I’d do is test the user flow with fossil-fuel car owners outside my own family and friends.