Etrel | INCH Core

Rethinking who an EV charger Is designed for

Etrel decided to expand their portfolio with a new EV charger system designed to serve a wide range of users, environments and services. But the biggest opportunities lay beyond the end user. Focusing on the stakeholders who influence which charger gets installed revealed new ways for product design to create value and competitive advantage.

Services:

Design research
User & stakeholder research
Concept development
Industrial design
Prototyping & testing
Industrialization support

In collaboration with:

Etrel Design

Etrel INCH Core charger on a light brick wall as a person walks past

At a glance

Opportunity

Join Etrel’s development team to uncover opportunities for innovation beyond the end user and turn them into product advantages across the wider charging ecosystem, from partners and installers to operators and service teams.

Solution

A modular charging system built around an innovative product architecture, designed to remove friction across installation, operation and maintenance while supporting different applications through a flexible platform.

Impact

INCH Core launched in 2023 as a flexible charging platform that made charging infrastructure easier to implement and support, simplifying installation, reducing stock complexity and enabling easier diagnostics, maintenance and repair.

“One aspect of design is reducing business risk by identifying wrong decisions early. Žan creates value through rapid prototyping and structured iteration with real users or operators. On INCH Core, his approach of inviting installers into the design process helped uncover lots of dead-end solutions well before critical and costly industrialisation decisions were locked in.”

Matic Vihtelič | Etrel | Head of Product Design

The charger experience starts long before the first charge

Before an EV driver ever plugs in, a series of business, technical and practical decisions have already shaped the experience. Across domestic and semi-public use cases, chargers are specified, selected, stocked, installed, commissioned and handed over by different stakeholders, each with their own needs and influence on the journey.

Understanding these journeys and systems helped us look beyond the obvious end-user experience and identify where product design could remove friction, create value and contribute to Etrel’s competitive advantage.

Designer at a wall of research printouts and sticky notes in the Etrel studio

Installers don't buy the charger. But they can influence which one gets bought.

Looking across this wider ecosystem revealed opportunities in many areas. Installation was one of the clearest examples. Installers have the most complex interactions with a charger, but research also confirmed something more strategically important: their experience can influence which products get specified, recommended and installed.

This made the installer experience more than a usability challenge. It became an opportunity to build preference for Etrel among the people working with charging infrastructure every day.

From observing installers to a new installation architecture

Research gave us a detailed understanding of the installer journey, from mounting and wiring to setup, commissioning and handoff. The installer journey became a design input from the earliest concepts, while prototypes were repeatedly tested with potential users to expose friction and challenge assumptions early.

Rather than simply improving individual installation steps, the team developed a dedicated installation dock. Designed to be intuitive and self-explanatory, it guides the process towards a clean and correct installation before the charger itself is attached.

Two installers fitting a charger prototype to an outdoor post

Testing a charger prototype mounted on a mock-up wall while a colleague records on a phone

One product, value across the ecosystem

The installation dock shows how understanding one stakeholder could lead to valuable product innovation. The same thinking extended beyond installation. Looking at the needs of partners, operators, service teams and Etrel itself revealed further opportunities to create value throughout the product lifecycle.

Those considerations shaped a modular system capable of supporting different applications and use cases without multiplying complexity around the product. Easier stock-keeping, diagnostics, maintenance and repair weren't isolated features, but ways of helping Etrel and its partners implement and support charging infrastructure more effectively.

Render of the INCH Core interior with the cable routed around the internal bracket

Back plate of the INCH Core housing with a hexagonal rib structure

Making the brand promise tangible

Etrel's values had to be experienced through the product, not simply expressed through its appearance. Reliability, friendliness and longevity informed how interactions were simplified, how people were supported when something went wrong, and how the product was designed to remain dependable throughout its life.

The aesthetic followed the same thinking. INCH Core needed to remain recognizably Etrel while fitting naturally into both domestic and semi-public environments. Its design balances robustness with approachability, communicating reliability without demanding attention from its surroundings.