Fast-charging infrastructure with charging time of 20–30 min can help minimizing current perceived limitations of electric vehicles, especially considering the unbalanced and incomprehensive distribution of charging options combined with a long perceived charging time. Positioned on optimal location from user and business perspective, the technology is assumed to help increasing the usage of an electric vehicle (EV). Considering the user perspectives, current and potential EV users were interviewed in two different surveys about optimal fast-charging locations depending on travel purposes and relevant location criteria. The obtained results show that customers prefer to rather charge at origins and destinations than during the trip. For longer distances, charging locations on axes with attractive points of interest are also considered as optimal. From the business model point of view, fast-charging stations at destinations are controversial. The expensive infrastructure and the therefore needed large number of charging sessions are in conflict with the comparatively time consuming stay.

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The attention-guiding seat is intended to make conditionally automated driving (equivalent to SAE-Level3) even more user-friendly and comfortable. In particular, the developed concept is intended to facilitate a more intuitive and safer take-over of the driving task for the driver. This is provided by a seat that turns the driver slightly inwards while driving automated, thus supporting comfortable use of the infotainment system or communication with passengers. If the driver needs to continue with the driving task, the seat turns the driver back to the steering wheel. Within the EU-funded HADRIANproject, the kinematic parameters of this concept are being investigated and a prototype of the seat is being developed for testing in a highly dynamic driving simulator at the Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika) at RWTH-Aachen University.Cover image: (left) Attention-guiding seat; (right) highly dynamic driving simulator Research on conditionally automated driving (SAE-Level 3)Since the entry of UN Regulation 157 in January 2021 into force, vehicles with conditional automation (SAE-Level 3) have been eligible for registration on German roads. When the Automated Driving (AD) Mode is switched on, the vehicle executes the driving task and the driver can pursue non-driving related activities (NDRA). Before a system limit is reached, the driver has to take-over the driving task within a few seconds. The Take-Over Request (TOR) in Figure 2 is initiated by the vehicle.

When driving a conditionally automated vehicle, a haptic signal might be an option in order to facilitate the TOR, since the driver's visual and acoustic modalities may be occupied by non-driving related tasks. Therefore, the driver's seat rotation is examined here as haptic cue in the TOR since, so far, it has not been considered in detail, yet. The turning seat actively turns the driver away from the driving task in AD mode. The modified seating position during AD is intended to support the driver's Mode Awareness. In the case of a TOR, the driver receives a kinesthetic cue by applying a torque around the vertical axis of his seat, turning him back to the driving task. To investigate the turning seat, a preliminary expert study was conducted. Results show that drivers prefer an eccentric vertical turning axis which leads to a rotation away from the steering wheel.