Virta and Voltalis to advance smart charging
According to Virta, smart and data-driven charging has become essential to support grid operators, fleet managers, and property owners in optimising charging schedules. This approach facilitates the integration of renewable energy and provides real-time flexibility to balance supply and demand in electricity markets.
To develop solutions for smart electric vehicle charging, Finnish charging platform provider Virta and energy company Voltalis are joining forces. During the initial pilot phase, joint projects are planned in Finland and Sweden. These projects aim to demonstrate the economic feasibility and technical interoperability between Voltalis’s Virtual Power Plant (VPP) platform and Virta’s VPP functions tailored for electromobility. The ultimate goal is to achieve measurable improvements in grid stability and cost savings for operators.
Additionally, Virta and Voltalis intend to support market development for electric vehicle participation in wholesale and balancing energy markets. Working alongside regulatory authorities and grid operators, they aim to establish frameworks for smart charging. “The collaboration will also share technical and operational knowledge to accelerate integration across France, the UK, and other European markets, creating a blueprint for scalable EV flexibility deployment,” states Virta. However, neither company has provided further details.
It remains unclear whether this initiative includes not only charging but also discharging through Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology using electric vehicle traction batteries. Sébastien Condom, SVP and Head of International at Voltalis, commented: “Virta’s leadership in smart charging and V2G innovation, combined with Voltalis’ expertise in demand-side flexibility, makes this collaboration a critical step in integrating transport and energy infrastructure across Europe.”
“Virta has years of experience in contributing to power grid resilience via EV charging in the Nordic fast reacting frequency containment and capacity reserve markets. The partnership with Voltalis opens up a new level of ambition in contributing to the energy market transformation, enabling reduction of volatility in electricity prices, which benefits CPOs, fleets and consumers across Europe,” says Juha Karppinen, Director of Energy at Virta.
For Voltalis, the partnership aims to accelerate market entry in the Nordic countries and expand its expertise in demand flexibility to electromobility infrastructure. Virta, on the other hand, expects the collaboration to broaden the applications of its smart charging platform and benefit from Voltalis’s proven aggregation capabilities and market experience.
This article was first published by Daniel Bönnighausen for electrive’s German edition.
0 Comments