How eMobility Is Opening New Revenue Pools

Written by Juha Stenberg, CEO at eMabler

For decades, the charging conversation was simple: how do we build enough plugs to keep up with the number of electric vehicles on the road?  

The focus was on hardware and rollout speed. Governments subsidized stations, utilities experimented with pilots, and early adopters were willing to deal with unreliable apps and slow charging speeds. 

That time is over. Electric vehicle adoption is moving into the mass market, and with it, charging is transforming into something much bigger. Selling electricity by the kilowatt-hour is no longer enough. Success now depends on managing energy intelligently, unlocking new revenue streams, and integrating mobility into the wider energy system. 

The scale of the opportunity is staggering. By 2035, global electricity demand from EVs is expected to surpass 1,000 terawatt-hours; roughly the same as Japan’s annual consumption. In the UK alone, there were already more than 1.1 million EVs on the road by mid-2024, with the public charging network expanding by nearly 50% in a single year. In Norway, where EVs make 90% of new car sales, the transition has already revealed both the promise and the pitfalls of electrification. 

 As volumes surge, the economics shift. Charging has moved beyond being a side business or experimental add-on. It is becoming an energy platform, a node in the grid that can balance supply and demand, create new markets for flexibility, and open fresh customer touchpoints. 

The question for every energy company, retailer, or mobility provider is no longer whether to engage with EV charging, but how to turn it into a profitable, scalable, and future-proof business. 

How has EV Charging Evolved 

When the first mass-market EVs appeared, the key challenge was access. Drivers worried about range, governments worried about adoption, and the industry responded by rapidly deploying charging stations wherever it could. For years, the metric of success was simply the number of charge points installed and electric vehicles sold. 

But as adoption accelerated, the weaknesses of this approach became visible. Norway’s experience shows how fast things can move. It took four years to sell the first 10,000 EVs in the country, but now the same number sold is in just four weeks. Incentives and renewable fuelled the boom, but the infrastructure lagged behind. Public chargers were scattered, often unreliable, and spread across dozens of incompatible apps. In Norway’s 2022 EV driver survey, half of respondents reported that fast chargers occasionally failed to work. 

Consumers tolerated these frustrations in the early adoption phase, but as EVs entered the mainstream, expectations rose. People now expect charging to be as seamless as buying petrol or switching lights on with motion detector. That means reliability, integration, and transparency. It also means that the business case for charging can no longer depend solely on reselling electricity. The new opportunity lies in using EVs as flexible energy assets. 

What are the New Business Models in Energy-driven Charging? 

Charging is evolving into an energy business, and the revenue opportunities extend far beyond the price of electricity at the socket. Energy companies are discovering that EVs can play multiple roles in the power system, and each role creates new value pools. 

Smart Charging and Load Shifting 

Unlike internal combustion engines, EVs don’t need to be “filled” immediately. A car plugged in at 18:00 may not be used again until 8:00 the next day. That window is a treasure chest for energy optimization. Smart charging systems can automatically shift loads to hours when electricity is cheapest, grid has free capacity or when renewable generation is high. 

In practice, this means charging cars overnight when wind power peaks, or avoiding the early evening when the grid is under stress. For energy retailers, this translates into lower procurement costs. For customers, it reduces bills. For system operators, it flattens peaks and avoids costly grid reinforcements. 

Intraday Optimization for Balance Responsible Parties 

Energy companies that hold balance responsibility can go even further. By aggregating EV charging loads, they can optimize positions in the intraday market. If their forecast consumption and actual demand diverge, EV charging provides a flexible lever to balance the books. Instead of buying expensive balancing energy at the last minute and/or pay expensive penalties, they can adjust charging schedules across thousands of vehicles to reduce exposure. 

This is a concrete business case with measurable benefits, not just an abstract idea. In markets with high renewable penetration, intraday volatility is rising. Flexible demand like EV charging becomes a strategic tool to capture value and reduce imbalance costs. 

Frequency-Controlled Reserves 

At an even more sophisticated level, EV charging can participate in frequency-controlled reserve markets. When the grid frequency deviates from its target, operators need rapid adjustments in consumption or generation to stabilize the system. Traditionally, this came from power plants. Increasingly, it can come from EVs.  

By slightly ramping charging up or down in response to frequency signals, aggregated EV fleets can deliver valuable ancillary services. The revenues may seem modest per vehicle, but at scale they add up to a significant profit stream for energy companies. And unlike industrial demand response, EV charging flexibility is abundant, distributed, and growing every month. 

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) 

Perhaps the most transformative model is bi-directional charging. With V2X, EVs don’t just adjust when they consume electricity, they can also discharge power back into the grid or building. A fleet of 1,000 vans with 50 kWh of available capacity each represents 50 MWh of storage, deployable within seconds.  

In Europe, studies suggest EVs could supply up to 30% of required grid flexibility by 2030. For fleets, V2X can turn parked vehicles into revenue-earning assets. For utilities, it provides decentralized storage without massive new infrastructure. 

Bundled Offers and Customer Loyalty 

Beyond the energy system, charging creates new customer relationships. Supermarkets can offer free charging as part of loyalty programs, driving in-store sales. Parking operators can integrate charging into subscription models. Utilities can roll charging into energy bills, making it invisible to the consumer. 

The real power lies in bundling; combining mobility, energy, and retail into sticky services that keep customers engaged. Here, data is as valuable as electricity. Understanding charging patterns allows companies to cross-sell products, optimize operations, and strengthen loyalty. 

Batteries at Charging Hubs 

One final piece of the puzzle is local energy storage. Large charging hubs can easily create spikes in demand that trigger punitive grid tariffs or even congest the local network. By installing stationary batteries on-site, operators can smooth their load profiles, avoiding peak charges while providing resilience. 

These batteries can also be optimized to participate in wholesale and reserve markets, stacking multiple value streams. A well-designed hub goes beyond charging by acting as a mini energy plant that balances local demand, reduces costs, and generates new revenues. 

Who Will Win the Battle for Energy-Driven Charging? 

As these opportunities expand, the race is on. Energy retailers, aggregators, automotive OEMs, and technology platforms are all vying for position. 

Energy retailers have a natural advantage. They already manage energy procurement, tariffs, and millions of customer relationships. When they integrate charging into their offers, they can turn EVs into flexible assets and keep control of the customer interface. The risk is complacency: if they move too slowly, others will leapfrog them. 

Aggregators and flexibility providers see EVs as the next big resource, and by pooling thousands of vehicles, they can trade flexibility across multiple markets. But they rarely have direct customer access, so they must partner with others to scale. 

Automotive OEMs are trying to turn the car into the customer. With Plug & Charge (mandatory as of 1.1.2027), the vehicle itself authenticates at the charger, making the in-car display the natural interface. Some OEMs are experimenting with offering energy services directly, or partnering with tech giants like Apple and Google for mapping and payments. Yet OEMs often lack the grid and billing expertise needed to make this seamless. 

The final category is open platforms. These are the connectorsm not competing with clients, but enabling them. Integrating charging into existing IT systems (from CRM to billing) helps energy companies, retailers, and mobility providers unlock value without reinventing their infrastructure. They can adapt across regions, regulations, and ecosystems, making them uniquely scalable. 
 

What is eMabler’s Role in the Energy Transition 

This is exactly where eMabler is positioned. The company was built around one conviction: charging should not be an isolated vertical. It should be integrated into the systems companies already run and ecosystems its interacts with. 

Instead of forcing enterprises to adopt parallel IT stacks, eMabler connects EV charging directly into CRM, billing, loyalty, and energy systems. The result is lower operating expenses (often cut by half) and faster time to market. 

For energy companies, this means being able to monetize flexibility services and integrate EV loads into balance responsibility. For retailers, it means bundling charging into loyalty programs to drive new revenue. For parking operators, it means offering seamless charging without building an entirely new platform. 

The ecosystem partnerships strengthen this position. The Salesforce Connector opens charging to the 25% of global CRM users already running Salesforce. EasyPark interoperability extends reach to 60 million drivers, a market 30 times larger than today’s EV base. And with AFIR making Plug & Charge mandatory from 2027, eMabler is ideally placed to bridge OEMs, mega-apps, operators and service providers when the car itself becomes the customer. 

And this isn’t theory. eMabler is already live in ten countries, with a strong presence in the Nordics, serving more than 40 companies, and growing rapidly. In Europe’s most advanced EV markets, the model is proven. 

What Companies must Consider in Energy-driven Charging 

The opportunity is vast, but execution is everything. Several critical factors determine whether charging becomes a profitable energy service or a costly distraction. 

The first is the grid. In the UK, 72% of substations require upgrades to handle expected EV demand. Without smart charging, intraday optimization, and local storage, grid costs could spiral. 

The second is regulation. AFIR will change the landscape in 2027 by mandating Plug & Charge. The EU’s Fit for 55 package sets aggressive CO₂ reduction targets by 2030. National policies add another layer of complexity. Companies must design for flexibility; technologically and commercially. 

The third is customer experience. Norway shows the risks of fragmentation. Too many apps, unreliable chargers, and poor integration eroded trust. Mass-market consumers expect seamless service. Whoever delivers simplicity and reliability will win. 

Finally, there is the strategic question of data ownership. Will OEMs or tech giants control the customer relationship? Or will incumbents like energy companies, retailers and parking operators keep it by embedding charging into their existing services? The future business model depends on this decision. 

 
Why Energy is Becoming the New Charging 

The electrification of transport is reshaping not just the auto industry, but the energy system itself. EV charging has shifted from simple power delivery to a focus on timing, flexibility, data, and services. 

Smart charging reduces costs and integrates renewables. Intraday optimization and frequency reserves create new revenue streams for energy companies. V2G turns cars into grid assets. Bundled offers deepen customer loyalty. Batteries at hubs smooth peaks and open additional value pools. 

This is the new reality: charging is energy management. 

The winners will not be those who try to own everything in a closed ecosystem. They will be the ones who connect with everything relevant, making charging seamless, profitable, and sustainable. 

That is what eMabler enables. Through integration with existing systems, empowerment to monetize flexibility, and interoperability across platforms, eMabler helps companies stay ahead of disruption. 

The EV revolution is reshaping energy systems for the future, not only transforming how we move but also how we power our world. And tomorrow’s leaders will be those who recognize that energy is the new charging and act on it today.