Luxury vehicle firm JLR is collaborating with ev.energy on piloting a smart charging solution.
The collaboration will enable utilities to optimise EV charging across JLR’s current and next-generation electric vehicles, with a goal to reduce grid strain, integrate more renewable energy, and provide drivers with a “seamless, cost-effective smart
charging experience”, the firms said.
As part of the collaboration, ev.energy and JLR are running a UK pilot program with 10 Jaguar I-PACE models. By integrating JLR’s connected vehicle platform with ev.energy’s software platform, JLR electric vehicles will be able to automatically charge according to a driver’s preferred schedule, utility rates, and grid conditions.
This helps make charging more sustainable and affordable for JLR clients, while also supporting grid stability.
Following the pilot, the solution is set to roll out to clients in the UK, the US, and the EU, supporting EV charging optimization across these regions.
In collaboration with over 55 utilities to date, ev.energy has demonstrated the benefits of managed charging:
1) In the UK, ev.energy saved drivers £166 on average and removed 489 tonnes of CO2e through smart charging in the 12 months up to 31 May 2025, the equivalent of 1,449 homes’ energy consumption for one year.
2) In California, over the same period, smart charging more than doubled the volume of charging that occurred overnight. Smart charging also shifted up to 45% of daytime charging to off-peak times when solar energy production was more abundant.
The JLR integration will expand ev.energy’s global Virtual Power Plant (VPP), providing utilities and grid operators with increased access to demand-side flexibility, enhanced demand response, and dynamic load management.
JLR is the first automotive manufacturer to invest in ev.energy through its corporate venture capital arm, InMotion Ventures, participating in ev.energy’s $33M Series B funding round led by National Grid Partners.
Nick Woolley, CEO & Co-Founder of ev.energy, said:
“This initiative is a prime example of how an automaker and a software provider can work collaboratively to deliver a convenient, high-quality proposition, support the uptake of EVs and alleviate grid pressures to make charging cost-effective.
“Working with JLR in the UK will help us further understand how our Virtual Power Plant can support a grid with mostly low-carbon supply and growing demand from electric vehicles, learnings which we can apply to other regions and markets.”
Swarna Ramanathan, JLR Chief Strategy Officer said:
“Our work with ev.energy is testament to the power of corporate-scale-up collaboration in unlocking fresh ideas to solve
some of our industry’s biggest challenges.
“Together, we are designing and deploying a smart charging solution that will meet our luxury clients’ expectations. It will support the transition to electrification through the efficient use of energy, with a view to reducing pressure on the grid and lowering costs for users.”
Image courtesy of JLR
