Synergi’s latest report shows financial incentives are key to managing electrification demand as EV adoption accelerates across Europe

Key findings

• Tesla, Volkswagen and Škoda remain the top EV brands for smart charging.
• The top-performing EV driver achieved annual savings of up to €295 in charging costs. (Calculated by comparing grid electricity consumption with and without smart charging.)
• Over 40% of smart charging sessions used chargers above 11kW.
• Synergi's new reward system led drivers to charge for longer periods and use more energy, proving that incentives change charging habits.
• Over 300% more EV drivers with fixed-price contracts began using Synergi’s smart charging to get rewards. 
• The top-performing driver earned €35 over four months by supporting grid balancing after the pilot phase in 2025.

Helsinki, Finland (12.02.2026) - Synergi has released its third annual smart charging report: Smart Charging 2026 Report: How EVs Are Transforming the Grid. The report analyses behavioral patterns and adoption trends from hundreds of thousands of smart charging sessions conducted by Finnish EV drivers throughout 2025. It also presents initial findings from Synergi's new smart charging service “Smart Rewards” that incentivises EV drivers to contribute to grid balancing.

Synergi highlights in its latest report that the role of smart charging is expanding beyond price optimisation. Traditionally, smart charging has helped drivers with variable energy contracts charge during the cheapest hours. In 2025, the top EV driver saved €295 by using smart charging regularly (excluding grid fees). Tesla, Volkswagen and Škoda remained the most popular brands for smart charging in 2025, matching Finland's best-selling EV brands that year.

The report also reveals a shift in home charging infrastructure. Most smart charging sessions now use chargers above 11 kW—a seven percentage point increase from the previous year. This suggests high-power home charging infrastructure is gaining popularity among EV drivers who actively use smart charging systems.

The report also explains how smart charging functions as a building block for new systems like virtual power plants, making it possible to aggregate and coordinate thousands of electric vehicles at once, pausing or resuming charging based on grid conditions. However, to make this work at scale, EV drivers need the right incentives to participate—regardless of their electricity contract type.

In 2025, Synergi became the first Finnish company to start rewarding drivers for smart charging as it became an official flexibility provider for Fingrid’s  mFRR market. The system rewards drivers based on two things: how long they stay plugged in and how much energy they use (kWh). This approach rewards both energy use and flexibility, encouraging drivers to keep their cars connected longer. 

According to the report, Synergi's new incentive system is delivering results. After launch, adoption among fixed-price contract users increased by over 300% and for spot-price users almost 150% from the previous quarter.

The report also revealed a novel finding.  When Smart Rewards was being piloted, drivers began plugging in earlier and staying connected longer—exactly the behavior the system was designed to encourage. The longer a driver remains plugged in, the more flexibility the grid operator can access during support events. The financial incentives are also proving meaningful: the top-earning driver made  €35 in 2025 simply by staying connected and making their vehicle's charging capacity available to the grid.

For more information

Kim Oguilve

Marketing & Communications

kim@synergi.so

About Synergi

Founded in 2022, Synergi’s mission is to accelerate the transition to renewable energy through smart software solutions.

Energy production remains one of the most polluting sectors, and moving toward renewables requires a more flexible and efficient electricity grid.

Households play a key role in this transition by adopting electric vehicles, solar panels, heat pumps, and batteries. Yet, increased household electrification also puts significant strain on the grid.

Synergi turns household energy flexibility into value—lower bills for users, greater stability for the grid, and automated rewards, all through one intelligent, seamless service.