Electric cars are only useful when driving? 

You arrive at work, plug in your electric car, and get on with your day. So do all your colleagues. Within minutes, electricity demand spikes. At VITO/EnergyVille, Tom Mondelaers and Jef Verbeeck work with their team on smart charging solutions that use algorithms to solve that challenge. Here’s how.

Increase efficiency, not the chargers 

Life is unpredictable. Workplace charging usually isn’t. Cars arrive in the morning, leave in the evening, and stay parked for hours in between. Meanwhile, solar production and electricity prices vary throughout the day. Smart charging takes advantage of that mismatch.  At the EnergyVille site in Genk, a planning algorithm schedules charging when it makes most sense, using forecasts for on-site solar production, grid tariffs, and energy prices.

"Electric vehicles can play a huge role in stretching the uptake of renewable energy.”

An idea turned into a public solution 

What started as a pilot project in Genk grew into a broader solution. To translate the research into real-world use, the software was commercialised through the spin-off Pleevi. For the team, this step highlights VITO’s role as a bridge between research and application. “We’re only at the beginning,” says Jef Verbeeck. “Large transport is still largely unexplored. That’s where smart charging still has a lot of opportunities.”

"We had this same idea 14 years ago, but the market wasn't ready for it. That's the point. Now it is."

Electrifying opportunities

The work of Tom, Jef, and their colleagues shows how applied research at VITO and EnergyVille moves between modelling, practice, and market application. “Our role is to translate research into something that is actually usable,” says Tom Mondelaers. “That’s where you start to see real value.”