Discover how ANWB paid EV drivers to charge their vehicles and grew its customer base.
Challenge
With a 24% EV adoption rate, The Netherlands is among the top EV-adopting countries worldwide. As a new and innovative brand in the competitive Dutch energy retailer market, ANWB saw an opportunity to leverage the high EV adoption rate to grow its energy business.
To ensure mobility and energy services are affordable and straightforward for its members, the team at ANWB sought a solution to enhance value and improve the charging experience for EV drivers, ultimately boosting the retention and acquisition of energy customers.
Solution
Through the ANWB Slim Laden (Smart Charging) offering, powered by ev.energy, ANWB enabled new and existing customers to benefit from low and negative energy pricing events, providing a seamless charging experience via the ANWB Slim Laden app.
The active managed EV charging proposition incorporates ANWB’s dynamic energy tariff and connects directly to the European Power Exchange (EPEX SPOT). This system leverages ev.energy’s EV Flex Virtual Power Plant (VPP) to maximize cost and carbon savings by charging at the cheapest and greenest times, while ensuring vehicles are charged by the user’s preferred ready-by time.
Users simply plug in their vehicles at home, and the app optimizes the charging times for the greatest savings.
During periods of high renewable energy production, drivers can access negative pricing, meaning they get paid to charge their EVs. Sunny and windy conditions create significant opportunities to save and earn.
The ANWB Slim Laden app, modeled on ev.energy’s core app and customized with ANWB’s branding, allows customers to manage and monitor their charging. Each charge is logged with cost savings and a Charging Session Graph that shows how ev.energy’s algorithm optimized charging based on live energy pricing data. Users can also track their savings over time.
Drivers remain in control with a “Boost Charge” feature available if they need their vehicle charged quickly, sacrificing savings for speed.
Results
Savings for drivers and the planet
Between October 2023 and September 2024, enrolled drivers have benefitted from significant savings and reduced their carbon emissions.
ev.energy data shows:
- Participating drivers have saved an average of €4.49 and 4.2 kg of CO2 emissions per month
- 1% of charging sessions resulted in users being paid to charge
- 16% users experienced at least one paid charging session
The highest payout for a single session to date was €7.62, achieved by a Tesla Model Y driver. This occurred during a 12-hour charging session on May 1, 2024, when negative energy rates were in effect.
In 2024, driver savings and the frequency of negative pricing sessions have increased, especially in April and May, due to increased renewable energy generation.
Growth for ANWB Energie
With over 2000 users, ANWB Slim Laden has seen impressive growth among ANWB Energie customers with EVs.
Additionally, the initiative has expanded to 1,100 additional users from other energy suppliers, broadening ANWB’s reach and providing a pathway for valuable EV drivers to switch to ANWB Energie.
Thanks to its innovative, customer-focused approach and initiatives like ANWB Slim Laden, ANWB Energie has expanded to 140,000 customers in just three years.
Looking ahead
ev.energy is committed to helping ANWB maximize the benefits of low-cost and low-carbon charging for more drivers. Future initiatives for the program include:
- Expanding strategic partnerships with charger and vehicle manufacturers to facilitate seamless connections for more drivers
- Launching marketing campaigns to promote the ANWB Slim Laden app and incentivize smart charging
- Enhancing the Solar Charging offering inside the app, allowing more drivers to direct excess home solar generation into their vehicles and avoid being penalized for exporting to the grid during negative pricing periods
- Leveraging EV flexibility to optimize for the Imbalance Market and ancillary services
Additionally, ANWB Engergie is working with Dutch grid operators Enexis and Liander as part of the “Netbewust thuisladen” (Grid-aware home charging) pilot, to further encourage smart charging adoption.
The ANWB’s Slim Laden solution utilizes ev.energy’s extensive experience from working with over 50 global utility clients and is one of the Netherlands’ most advanced EV charging propositions.
By integrating with the European Power Exchange to allow EV drivers to get paid for charging their cars, ANWB has demonstrated the exciting potential of EV VPPs to reward and grow its membership. This sets a precedent for energy retailers adapting to the dynamic energy landscape in Europe.
Looking to transform your EV drivers’ charging experience? Join our energy retailer webinar, “Creating a Seamless Home Charging Solution for EV Drivers”, on 4 Dec 2024. Register now!
Ready to learn more about ev.energy? Check out our award-winning managed EV charging solutions or book an introductory call with our team.
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