Here is Tomorrow’s Parking Garage – GriegGarasjen: “Fantastic Experience”

A user experience so seamless that even those charging a car for the very first time feel that everything works automatically. This was a focus area when Wattif set up the charging facility in Norway’s GriegGarasjen, which is now equipped with 31 units of DEFA Power.
“The user experience for end customers is extremely intuitive,” says Kjetil Hulbach, Global Head of Technical Sales at Wattif.

GriegGarasjen, one of the most centrally located charging facilities in Bergen, offers EV owners something truly special in terms of customer friendliness. When you drive into the garage, a picture of your car’s license plate is taken, and once you’ve parked, you only need to plug the charger into your car. A ceiling camera registers who you are, so you don’t need an app or anything else to charge your car. Everything happens automatically.

User experience – a priority

“The charging experience with ‘plug and charge’ is fantastic. Our aim is for those visiting or living in Bergen to actively choose GriegGarasjen because it’s so convenient to charge here. Both the location, the number of chargers, and the overall experience are excellent. The location is very important, and we are proud to offer a seamless experience that is just as intuitive for someone who has never charged a car before as it is for someone who charges their EV every day. That DEFA Power can deliver 22kW is very positive at a location like GriegGarasjen, while a lower power output can be accepted at locations where customers park for a longer duration”, says Kjetil Hulbach from Wattif, and continues:
“User experience has been a priority for us. Why is it so important? Well, satisfied users are key to creating a profitable charging facility.”

When Wattif is tasked with creating a profitable charging facility, their first choice is always the DEFA Power charging station – both for destination charging and parking garages.

Hulbach says:
“We get our revenue from selling electricity, so it’s important that the charging stations don’t deliver too little power and that the operation always works. The charging infrastructure is one of the most important aspects from our perspective.”

Dynamic QR codes for a superior facility

“But a profitable facility also depends on availability; you want to be able to offer a charging spot to everyone who needs one. You also want users to be satisfied with the actual charging. Here it’s important to choose high-quality products, but also that the charging station itself is intuitive. In the case of DEFA Power, for example, we can talk about a display that shows what the charging will cost, dynamic QR codes that make the charging facility slightly superior to the requirements that come with AFIR, and a fixed charging cable that makes it easier for the user. When you come to GriegGarasjen, you’ll see the Wattif logo on the DEFA Power charging stations, and it’s important for us that end users choose us again and again.”
DEFA Power – the new generation of chargers – is not only designed with the user experience in mind. The market demands for a high-quality product that is easy to install have also been prioritized. Commissioning should be simple, and it should be cost-effective to expand the facility.

“DEFA Power meets all market requirements, which is crucial for us as an operator. That DEFA Power doesn’t ‘derate’ is very relevant for us. If the charger delivers less power, Wattif gets less revenue,” says Hulbach and concludes:

“Following all the rules and guidelines in the industry is also an absolute requirement. Here we appreciate that DEFA Power is at the forefront when it comes to regulatory compliance. The customer can always be assured that the product is uncompromising and always meets the existing requirements.”