A seamless charging experience for Smart
& Mercedes EQ.
Mercedes-Benz was preparing the launch of its first wave of electric vehicles: 19 plug-in hybrids and its first fully electric vehicle, the EQ. In parallel, Smart was introducing its own electric line — small, urban-first vehicles designed to move through crowded cities.
In both cases, the goal was clear: eliminate friction around charging and parking by offering a digital-first experience tailored to city life.
Challenge
Smart already had a working app — Ready to Park — focused solely on locating and booking parking spots. We were brought in to evolve that experience into Ready to Park & Charge by adding charging capabilities into the same flow.
Later, Mercedes-Benz asked us to adapt this logic to the EQ line: a more premium offering with a broader charging ecosystem, including garages, roadside stations, and mobile charging units.Rather than creating two disconnected services, we designed a scalable system — reusing the best of the Smart model while elevating it for EQ.
Expertise
- Service design
- UX ecosystem
- IxD/UI of the mobile app
Team
- Product Design Owner & Lead for Service & Interaction Practice
- Service & Interaction Designer
- Product Experience Designer
- Visual & Interaction Designer
We started by mapping the existing Ready to Park & Charge journey, identifying what worked and what needed to evolve. Then we introduced new layers: roadside charging, dynamic reservations, and support for future infrastructure like 110kW DC chargers and mobile units.
To support real-life use, we also extended the experience to Apple Watch, giving Smart drivers instant access to their reservations and charge status. Later, we adapted this logic for Mercedes EQ — refining the interaction and visual language to align with a more premium context and a broader charging ecosystem
Impact
We helped Mercedes-Benz deliver a consistent, user-friendly charging experience across both Smart and EQ vehicles. The solution worked across garages, roadside stations, and mobile charging — and scaled smoothly as new electric models launched.
Built on top of a shared system, the service was easy to maintain, adapt, and evolve.
Designed and tested for real life
We tested the complete experience with Smart drivers — on the actual streets of Rome.
From finding a charger to unlocking garage barriers and paying through the app, every step was validated in context.
Looking ahead
We were proud to collaborate with one of the most iconic players in the automotive industry.
What began as a parking-only product evolved into a unified platform for electric mobility — adaptable, scalable, and ready for the future.
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