Smart charging began when EV drivers scheduled their home chargers to follow energy price movements — the first wave of “smart charging 1.0.” Then, as electric vehicles got smarter, it became possible to control charging directly via the car, without the home charger — “smart charging 2.0.” This move to 2.0 made smart charing effortless - the car became the real cornerstone, allowing charging optimisation based on real battery % levels and not requiring hardware-based setups in a fragment home-charger market.

Gridio pioneered the 2.0 space, first integrating with Tesla and later becoming the first provider to bring Volkswagen Group smart charging to the masses, alongside 10 other brands. Like many others, we initially relied on reverse-engineering car apps, which meant occasional downtime whenever carmakers changed their systems.

Today, we’re proud to say that Gridio is the #1 smart charging provider in Europe, officially integrated with top EV brands including Tesla, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Škoda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Cupra, and Seat. We call it Smart Charing 3.0 and are proud to be at the forefront of this shift. Thanks to these official manufacturer partnerships, we can now offer secure, reliable, and officially supported smart charging across 22 European countries — from tariff optimisation to solar charging to direct utility integrations.

Why This Matters

We believe electric vehicles will become the centrepiece of the future energy system. The combined home-connected EV battery capacity in Europe already exceeds 150 gigawatts — more than double Germany’s total electricity demand. Even though not all cars charge simultaneously, our data shows that at peak times (for example, Friday evenings) about a third of the fleet plugs in.

With EV sales in Europe up 25% year-on-year, the total charging capacity will soon exceed much of Europe’s total power demand. This presents a real challenge: unmanaged charging during evening peaks could raise electricity prices, increase fossil generation, and stress local grids not built for this load.

How Smart Charging Solves It

We don’t believe these risks will materialise — because smart charging is already solving them. Gridio, now officially partnered with major EV manufacturers, helps prevent these problems in four key ways:

1. Solar Charging

Gridio integrates with EVs, solar inverters, and smart meters to automatically charge cars when excess solar power is available. Drivers avoid costly grid imports and save on average €100 per year, while helping absorb local solar surplus instead of sending it back to the grid.

2. Energy-Tariff Based Charging

Dynamic electricity tariffs in Europe now change every 15 minutes. Instead of charging at 18:30 when prices spike, Gridio automatically schedules charging at 04:00 when power is cheap or even free. This saves around €200 annually — often more than half the home charging cost — while shifting demand to times dominated by renewable energy.

3. Grid-Tariff Based Charging

Many grid operators now price electricity higher during evening peaks and lower when solar is abundant. Gridio already lets drivers block expensive periods and will soon integrate full grid tariff data into its optimisation, saving another €100+ per year while easing local grid stress.

4. Intraday Market Balancing

Energy companies must continuously balance supply and demand. With millions of EVs, small adjustments in charging power across fleets can stabilise the grid without inconveniencing drivers. Gridio is working with utilities to enable these short-term adjustments — and to reward drivers who participate.

The Road Ahead

Europe’s energy system is changing fast, and electric vehicles are central to that transformation. Gridio’s mission is to ensure this shift happens efficiently, sustainably, and fairly — for both drivers and the energy system.

By officially partnering with leading car brands and energy companies, Gridio is not just making smart charging smarter — it’s helping Europe build a cleaner, more resilient electricity future.

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