Why smart charging?

Electric vehicles (EVs) are playing a pivotal role in achieving Europe's ambitious goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050. Over the past few years, the number of EVs on the roads has skyrocketed, and this trend is set to continue. However, this rise in EVs also creates a new energy demand that requires a concerted effort across different sectors to improve power grid management. Fortunately, EVs represent an untapped resource that can help address this global challenge, and at Spark, we're focused on developing solutions that make EVs a critical part of the solution.

So, how can we achieve this goal? By reimagining the way EVs are charged and by providing users with information and incentives to charge their vehicles in a way that benefits both their wallet and the grid. This will require creating new technical and behavioral relationships between businesses and users, and lowering the barriers for grid operators to cooperate with users.

At Spark, we're handling the grid operator side of this equation by providing data, visual examples, and a business model. Our partners, in turn, provide their users with data and an interface that leverages this value. This creates an opportunity for partners to generate monetary, environmental, and social value for their users, while enabling Spark to help grid operators balance the energy system. But what's in it for EV owners?

We make charging more intuitive, frictionless, and efficient by intelligently leveraging data and insights to optimize our users' charging sessions based on their unique needs. By providing users with insight into power price predictions for the next few days, our advanced analytics can help EV owners choose the best day or timeslot to charge their vehicles during the week. This not only saves them money on their power bills but also helps balance the energy system and creates a cleaner, more sustainable future for all.

The Spark approach

To effectively address the issue at hand and develop long-term, sustainable solutions for the market, we have been committed to cultivating a conscious approach that balances data-driven insights with a user-centered perspective. Consequently, we have undertaken research in several key areas essential to our mission:

• Technical data from EVs: This enables us to better understand their technical specifications, such as WLTP, battery capacity, and battery size.
• User needs and behavior: Gaining a deeper understanding of the expectations and preferences of our target audience allows us to create more effective solutions tailored to their specific needs.
• Conversations with partners: This helps us better understand their businesses, products, and end-users, allowing us to determine how our solutions can integrate with other products and gain insights into the data the market requires.
• Historical and forecasted price data: Providing our customers with the most accurate and up-to-date information is crucial.

By meticulously analyzing and synthesizing this data, we can offer our partners the most relevant and impactful insights, data, and visual examples. This in turn empowers the end-users make informed decisions about when to charge their EVs, allowing them to save money and reduce their environmental impact.

We believe that everyone has a stake in creating a more sustainable future, and we are committed to doing our part to make it a reality.