User Perspective on Bidirectional Charging—Insights from the Field Trial of the Research Project “Bidirectional Charging Management—BCM”

High user acceptance is an important prerequisite for the successful integration of the bidirectional charging technology in the energy system. A field trial within the research project “Bidirectional Charging Management—BCM” offered the unique opportunity to investigate real user perceptions and behavior in two use cases: 20 participants were equipped with the overall bidirectional charging system and integrated it into their daily lives to test the technology for a year. Using a multi-method research program including in-depth interviews, questionnaire-based online surveys, and diary studies allowed us to better understand user motivations and barriers; further, it helped us to evaluate participants’ satisfaction with different aspects of the system, its components, and the overall organization of the field trial. In this article, we present results from different studies and provide insights as well as implications for a user-friendly future development of the bidirectional charging technology.