How to save money and earn rewards with your EV

Many people don't yet know that in the future, more and more people – such as electric car drivers or heat pump users – will have the opportunity to earn money through flexible electricity consumption.

This blog will help understand how you can both save money and earn rewards with your electric car today.

Did you know?

Smart charging apps for electric cars are very popular in Europe. For example, Synergi app's smart charging feature is one such feature optimising charging based on the cheapest prices of the day. However, Synergi’s smart charging feature now goes a step beyond!

Synergi now makes it possible to get rewarded by charging your electric car. For the first time in Finland, EV drivers can earn money by charging their car at home while helping to balance the electricity grid.

This is made possible by Synergi's free mobile app, where you can easily connect your car through its cloud service, without a separate charger or complicated installations! Synergi then optimises your charging so that it happens during the quietest moments for the electricity grid – and rewards you for flexible electricity use. Your car is always ready and charged when you need it the next day.

The service is completely free, and it doesn't matter whether you have a spot electricity contract or a fixed-price contract.

While earning rewards is currently only available for EV drivers in Finland, we are hoping to launch in more countries soon. However, you can still use smart charging Europe-wide to save on electricity costs by automatically charging when its cheap.

How does it actually work?

Synergi uses the flexibility of electric cars by pausing or starting charging when, for example, the national grid operator needs additional capacity (for example, Fingrid in Finland). The operator pays Synergi a reward for being able to pause or start the charging of thousands of electric cars simultaneously during busy energy periods to ensure that the grid stays balanced.

How much can I earn?

It depends on how much you charge. The more you use smart charging and keep your car plugged into the charger, the more points you can collect, which you can redeem for cash-value rewards in the Synergi app. Here are a few examples:

• Mika tested smart charging and rewards with his Hyundai IONIQ 5. With a spot electricity contract, he saved €52 by automatically optimising his EV charging to the cheapest hours using Synergi, plus he also earned over €50 in rewards for supporting the electricity grid.

The reward system is a fantastic addition to smart charging. I see it as part of responsible living – like recycling or making other sustainable choices – that my car battery can help balance the power grid. Why would I mind that? While it’s just sitting there, my car can contribute to the common good and maybe even help bring down future price peaks.

• Juuso used smart charging  and rewards with his Tesla and a fixed-price contract. He earned over €40 in a few months.

With a spot-price electricity contract, I might be able to save more, but in my situation, supporting grid stability while earning Synergi rewards is the better choice. I simply keep the car plugged in whenever I’m home – and so easily, I gain meaningful benefits.

How do I get started?

Getting started is very easy:

1. Check that Synergi supports your EV brand and model here.
2. Make sure that your electricity company supports rewards if you’re based in Finland.  If it is not yet supported or you are not based in Finland – you can still use and save with smart charging.
3. Download the Synergi app and connect your car to Synergi using your car's login credentials.
   1. Apple App Store
   2. Google Play Store
4. Select in-app by when your car needs to be charged – Synergi takes care of the rest!
5. See how many points you collect and start redeeming rewards!

Need Help?

We're happy to help. Contact us by email: support@synergi.so

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