Integration decides who wins the EV game

At every major energy and mobility exhibition across Europe, one word now dominates the conversation: integration.  Not chargers, not apps, not platforms. Integration. If you are not building for a fully integrated EV ecosystem – technically, commercially, and operationally – you are not part of the future solution. You’re a feature, not a player.

In the decade ahead, it will not be the companies with the largest installed base or the most features that win. It will be the ones that integrate best into the energy system – and can prove it, at scale.

Right now, Europe isn’t going through one transformation. It’s going through three at the same time: energy, automotive and mobility. Individually, each of these industries has made huge progress over the past decade. But they’re no longer moving on parallel tracks. They’re converging onto the same field. When that happens, no single player can cover it all anymore. The idea that one company can fully own the customer, the hardware, the software, the energy contract, and the data is a comforting fantasy – and a dangerous one.

The companies that will win are those that can:

• Plug into different business models and market designs
• Co-create solutions with partners, instead of just selling to them
• Turn technical integrations into monetizable outcomes: lower costs, higher utilisation, more flexibility, better user experience

This is not a branding shift. It’s an operational one. And as an industry, we need to move faster. Let’s be honest: the EV market is still quite at the kickoff, when it comes to integrations and partnerships within its ecosystem.

Many platforms are supported

Compatible with many EMS and back-office systems

Working with energy companies across markets

Good hygiene. But not a strategy. The seeds are already there. The APIs exist. The integration often exists. The teams know each other. Now let's put water on them – and grow real, measurable value together.

You can have the best-designed charger, the most elegant app, and an award-winning brand.  But in the mass market, mostly energy companies own the customer relationship. Why is this important? End users don’t wake up thinking they need more advanced integration. They wake up thinking how to lower energy bills, charge safe, easy-to-use and have peace of mind. Optimisation, automation, and flexibility are moving into the mainstream, and they are becoming core products, not side projects.  In that world, EV chargers cannot be a “nice add-on” at the edge of an energy company’s proposition. It needs to be embedded in product logic and integrated into systems. That only happens if we are at the table early – before requirements are fixed, tenders are written, and roadmaps are locked.

Being early in the conversation is not about prestige; it’s about architecture. If we’re in the room when new offerings are defined, we can shape technical requirements together and standardise instead of surviving on custom one-offs, to build interoperability that works across markets.   Every integration decision today is a future margin decision. Who gets to orchestrate? Who becomes commoditised? Who controls the data and the interface? Let’s - from the start – orchestrate this together.

Here, EMS is mission‑critical. Multiple residents share one grid connection. Grid upgrades are expensive. Electricity usage must be balanced between households, common areas, and EVs. Fairness and transparency are non‑negotiable.   With a strong foothold in EV home charging, we’ve shown for example in the multi-family houses that with Zaptec Pro advanced phase balancing and high scalability are proven methods in demanding European markets. Customers don’t want DIY patchworks – they need tightly integrated systems connecting EMS, back‑offices, CPOs, energy companies, solar and storage. Hereby, we’re actively accelerating the energy transition where it matters most: the buildings where people live and work.

Everyone in our industry talks about ecosystems, platforms, and integrations. The slides all look great. But the market believes what it can see.  That’s why, as an industry, together we need to showcase a continuous stream of tangible proof points, such as real projects in real buildings, live integrations and delivered outcomes: demand peaks shaved, utilisation increased, customer satisfaction improved. Many of these stories already exist today. Let’s highlight those that show we are already doing it – across countries, segments, and use cases.

To build the next growth layer, one thing is clear: we cannot grow alone. The energy transition is no longer a sector, it’s an infrastructure reset. Let’s co-create products, integrate offerings that combine hardware, software, data, and energy and build models that reward flexibility, optimisation, and uptime – not just hardware.   Integration is at the heart of growth. Not as a buzzword, but as a design principle, a commercial strategy, and a proof point. The companies that acknowledge this and take action – not just ambition – will define who actually wins this game.

At Zaptec, we’ve chosen our side. What side are you on?