Innovation · Project Management · ENSEEIHT · EV Mobility
EV Charging Cable - Innovation Project
Project Manager on an industry-linked exploration at ENSEEIHT. We mapped the real user experience of EV charging cables, challenged assumptions through structured field research, and assessed whether there was a credible product and startup opportunity in this space.
Mentor: Jean-Christophe Kugler
My Role
Project Manager
Project Manager, end to end
I structured the project from the very first ambiguous brief. I defined the scope, split the work into phases, set priorities, and kept the team aligned. I organized the research methodology, coordinated the questionnaire design and propagation, and drove external exposure, including roundtable participation and direct stakeholder interactions. I was also the primary interface for project representation in external contexts.
What the Project Was About
A familiar object. Systematically inconvenient.
EV charging cables are an overlooked interface. They are heavy. They get dirty when placed on the ground. They fold poorly. They are awkward to store in the trunk. Repeated mishandling accelerates cable degradation and shortens service life. And yet, no clear design solution exists in the market to address this.
The broader question was simple: is there a real user problem here? And if so, is there a credible product and startup opportunity around it?
We worked from that initial tension (a familiar, necessary object that consistently causes frustration) and moved toward a structured answer.
Pain Point 01
Ground contact & dirt
Cables laid on the ground during charging pick up dirt, moisture, and debris, creating hygiene and degradation issues every time.
Pain Point 02
Storage in the trunk
No standardized solution for cable storage. Poor folding habits and cramped trunks accelerate wear on connectors and cable sheath.
Pain Point 03
Handling inconvenience
Heavy cables, stiff sheaths, and clumsy connectors make every charging session a minor friction event, repeated multiple times per week.
Pain Point 04
Durability & degradation
Repeated folding in the wrong places, connector stress, and poor storage accelerate long-term cable degradation, a cost users absorb invisibly.
What I Did
From ambiguity to structured research.
Structured the project from a vague brief
Defined the scope, established a research methodology, split the work into phases, and set clear priorities, before anyone had answers.
Designed and propagated the user questionnaire
Built a structured survey to gather real user feedback and challenge initial assumptions. The goal was not to confirm what we thought, but to test it.
Participated in direct field research
First-hand user observation and stakeholder-facing discussions. Not desk research: real context, real friction, real data.
Drove external project representation
Represented the project in external contexts, including a strategic roundtable and direct interaction with industry stakeholders.
Assessed the startup opportunity
Evaluated whether the pain points were real, significant, and addressable enough to justify a product or startup thesis.
Key Exposure
Stakeholder interactions that shaped the project.
External exposure was built in to test the assumptions with senior audiences.
Strategic Roundtable
Jean-Christophe Kugler
A roundtable with Jean-Christophe Kugler: presenting the work, taking senior-level feedback on electromobility, and adapting the framing. As project lead I managed that interaction.
Field Exposure
Ascendance
An exchange with Ascendance, presenting the project to an external technical audience. The feedback shaped how we framed the problem and the opportunity.
Confidentiality
What can and cannot be shared.
⚖️ Partial NDA applies
User research data, the opportunity mapping and the internal decisions are under a confidentiality agreement. This page covers the public side: methodology, project management and external exposure. Findings and conclusions can be discussed in an interview.