Charging Infrastructure Innovation Award

This innovation focuses on reliable and efficient charging of electric trucks and buses, without disrupting daily operations. PANION by K2 Mobility is an intelligent charging management platform that fully aligns charging with the actual operational needs of a fleet.

Instead of focusing solely on low energy costs, PANION uses real-time data such as route planning, vehicle status, available charging infrastructure and grid capacity. This allows the system to determine exactly when and how vehicles should be charged, ensuring they are always ready for operation while avoiding grid congestion.

In practice, this means that even with very limited grid capacity, electric buses and trucks can continue to operate smoothly. A Belgian case shows that a bus fleet with minimal connection capacity can run fully according to schedule, without peak loads or outages.

In short: this innovation makes large-scale electrification of heavy transport feasible by turning charging into a predictable and fully integrated part of daily operations, rather than a risk.

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This innovation demonstrates how electric shared vehicles can actively help solve grid congestion and contribute to a more sustainable energy system. In Utrecht, Europe’s first fully operational vehicle-to-grid (V2G) ecosystem has been established, where electric vehicles not only consume electricity but also feed it back into the grid.

Using bidirectional V2G charging stations from We Drive Solar and electric vehicles from Renault, shared cars operated by MyWheels are deployed as temporary energy storage units. When there is an excess of solar or wind energy, the vehicles charge; during periods of high demand, they supply electricity back to the grid. This reduces evening peak loads and limits the need for fossil energy.

The first results in Utrecht show that this approach is effective: grid congestion is reduced, renewable energy is used more efficiently, and residents benefit from affordable, sustainable mobility. Scaling up to hundreds of vehicles makes this concept a promising solution for cities across the Netherlands and Europe.

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This innovation enables organisations with charging infrastructure to easily generate additional revenue from electric charging. Voltico automates the management of e-credits (emission credits) awarded for supplying sustainable charging electricity.

The platform automatically collects all charging data, verifies its accuracy and submits it flawlessly to the regulator, fully in line with applicable regulations. This eliminates the need for companies to deal with complex administration or compliance requirements.

In concrete terms, organisations can earn approximately €0.07 per charged kWh without any additional operational effort. Voltico thus offers a scalable, reliable and fully turnkey solution that makes sustainability immediately financially attractive.

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Criteria

• Innovative and new to the market
• Currently on the market or entering the market in 2026
• Contributing to the improvement of the charging infrastructure sector

Process

The submission period ran until Wednesday 7 January. Our professional jury selected three nominees from all submissions. From Tuesday 13 January, the public can vote for these nominees via our website.

The nominee with the highest public vote and the highest jury score (each counting for 50%) will receive the Charging Infrastructure Innovation Award 2026. The award will be presented during Congres Laadinfra ’26 on 10 February 2026 at Square, Brussels.

Voting is open until Tuesday 10 February, 12:00 noon.

Winner Charging Infrastructure Innovation Award 2025: EVChargeKing