“Smart technology is the hallmark of our sector”
Smart Innovation
Jan Sass is quick to find a solution and act on it.
Jan is the Strategy & Development Team’s product manager and deals with technological innovation in the e-mobility sector on a daily basis: “Our industry is growing at breakneck speed, and as an innovation partner, we are at the forefront of the latest developments.”
Pressure on the power grid
How is Eneco eMobility leading the way? Jan explains: “We offer a complete solution, from charging stations to green electricity. We understand how energy markets work and are connected to them via Eneco Group’s trading activities. This is an essential combination considering today’s highly volatile electricity supply and how it affects the power grid. When electricity supply or demand is greater than the network can handle, you get grid congestion. And that has major consequences, especially for businesses. After all, when you have insufficient electricity, your business cannot operate at full steam. That costs money.”
Electrifying Europe
In the near future, pressure on the power grid will only increase and the e-mobility sector is certainly a factor. “Around 30 per cent of all car sales in the Netherlands are currently electric”, says Jan. “However, all new cars sold in the EU must be emission free by 2035. That poses a huge challenge not only to our charging infrastructure but also to the power grid. We need smart technological innovation to enable the transition from fossil fuels to green electricity.”
Eneco SmartCharge
Eneco SmartCharge is an example of a smart innovation. This app automatically manages electric vehicle charging so that it takes place at the most favourable times of the day or, in other words, when there is enough electricity available. You can also use the app to charge your car with electricity generated by your own solar panels. Jan explains: “Eneco SmartCharge immediately helps to relieve pressure on the power grid during peak times. And our customers also benefit by saving hundreds of euros each year. Isn’t that fantastic?”
No insight without smart technology
Jan continues: “Smart technology is the hallmark of our sector. Everything revolves around insight, and smart functionalities are key. A good example is the dashboard we offer to our business and private customers. It allows you to see when you charged your vehicle, how much electricity you have used at home, work or elsewhere and how much CO2 has been saved. That’s the practical aspect. But it’s really the additional, smart functionalities that make the difference. It’s a bit like a receptionist who can stop and start charging sessions or prioritise one specific car over another because the driver will have to leave in an hour. This is all thanks to technology.”
ChatGPT and the future
But what will future e-mobility innovation look like? Jan only sees new opportunities and possibilities: “A colleague and I recently gave a presentation on ChatGPT. Of course, there’s a lot of hype around it at the moment, but some aspects of ChatGPT could prove very useful for us, particularly for our marketing and IT departments. Think, for example, of an AI-driven chatbot on our website.”
One Planet Plan
When you look at the bigger picture, all these technological innovations fit into a broader vision for the future: One Planet. With this plan, Eneco Group is working towards climate neutrality by 2035.
Jan concludes: “Our charging solutions will make a direct contribution to this goal. In fact, we’re eradicating carbon emissions that were never emitted by Eneco. The cars our customers used to drive were powered by fossil fuels, emissions produced by oil companies. We are now replacing that with renewable energy. To my eye, Eneco eMobility doesn’t face a huge challenge to become climate neutral – we already are! All our customers’ vehicles run on green electricity. You can’t get much greener than that.”
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