Gamification-Based Vehicle-to-Grid Service for Demand Response: A Pilot Project in Jeju Island

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are increasingly recognized as the key to the power industry’s shift towards decentralization, carbon neutrality, and electrification because of their potential as flexible assets. Advances in grid integration, communication standards, smart charging, vehicle-to-grid technology, and electric vehicle service platforms are crucial for effectively leveraging BEVs. However, realizing these potential hinges on the active participation of electric vehicle owners, which is a vital yet challenging aspect. This study proposes a gamification-based incentive model to boost the participation of BEV owners in demand response programs, focusing on enhancing grid flexibility. A pilot project involving BEV drivers and charging-point operators was conducted on Jeju Island, South Korea. The significant contributions of this study include the development of both hardware and software systems for the gamification model and an ANOVA analysis to assess its impact. Compared with conventional economic incentives, the application of gamification-based incentives had effects of 13.8–69.2 percent from a demand increase perspective and 2.0–91.4 percent from a demand reduction perspective.