Full battery electric vehicles (a.k.a. BEVs or EVs) of course require charging, but so do plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). While the latter also have an engine and fuel tank, they need to be charged to fully take advantage of their all-electric and electric-assist modes. The problem is that because there’s an internal combustion engine (ICE) under the hood, people tend to treat them like regular, non-electric cars and not charge them at all, according to Toyota Research Institute (TRI). To solve that issue, the Japanese automaker has developed a behavioral science app for PHEV owners that gamifies the charging experience to encourage more owners to plug in.

The prototype feature within the Toyota app is known as ChargeMinder and was tested in both the U.S. and Japan. According to TRI’s findings, gamification of charging showed an improvement in both PHEV and EV charging habits by its users. In the U.S. specifically, PHEV owners were influenced to increase their charging frequency by 10 percent, and doing so also increased owner satisfaction by “16 percentage points.”

To achieve these increases, the app delivered just-in-time reminders such as push notifications that were said to be 50 percent more effective than generic prompts. It also applied positive reinforcement in the form of messages that rewarded streaks, delivered encouragement, and summarized their charging habits. Finally, in-app engagement functions such as quizzes helped owners learn why charging their PHEV is integral to owning one. After all, if you’re not charging your PHEV, you’re basically driving a regular hybrid with hundreds of extra pounds of electronics and other gear on board. That’s more inefficient and defeats the purpose of a PHEV.

If you think this sounds like the achievements and goals you reach when playing your favorite video or mobile game, you’re not wrong. Daily reminders and rewards in games are also behavioral influencers, in those cases to play (and potentially spend) more. At least in Toyota’s case, the same psychology is being put into play to potentially save you money by driving more efficiently. If the pilot program continues to show positive results, don’t be surprised if your Toyota app updates to include ChargeMinder or more OEMs include similar functions in their own mobile apps.