Zaptec has entered a strategic partnership with Kraken to connect its electric vehicle chargers with intelligent tariffs and energy services across Europe. The collaboration follows a period of rapid deployment for the AC charging provider, which installed almost 1,000 chargers per day in June. By combining Zaptec’s charging technology with Kraken’s energy platform, the companies aim to help drivers optimise charging times, reduce energy costs and participate in a more connected electricity system. The rollout will begin in 10 markets where both businesses already operate: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Charging As An Energy Asset
The agreement reflects a shift in the role of residential and workplace EV charging. Rather than serving solely as an access point for electricity, a connected charger can respond to tariffs, household energy use and wider grid conditions. Zaptec’s approach centres on hardware designed to gain new functions through software, integrations and energy-service partnerships over its operational lifetime.
For drivers, this could mean scheduling charging for periods when electricity is cheaper, integrating charging with solar generation and accessing services linked to flexibility. Zaptec also identifies vehicle-to-grid capability as a future application, positioning the charger as a link between electric mobility and the wider energy system.
Kurt Ostrem, CEO at Zaptec, said:
“The role of the EV charger is changing. Customers are no longer choosing hardware alone; they’re choosing the technology that will continue to deliver value throughout its lifetime.
Every partnership we build expands what a Zaptec charger can do, helping customers benefit from smarter charging, lower energy costs and new connected energy services as the energy landscape evolves. Together with initiatives like project Mercury, our partnership with Kraken is another important step towards connecting more drivers to the future of energy.”
Access To Smart Tariffs
Zaptec customers are expected to gain access to intelligent EV tariffs and connected services offered by European utilities running on Kraken. The release names EDF Energy, E.ON Next and Octopus Energy among the utilities using Kraken’s operating system, creating a route for charger users to benefit from electricity pricing and energy-management services available through those providers.
Kraken supports more than 90 million accounts across households, businesses and large industrial customers. Its platform combines data, AI and automation across utility activities including generation, distribution, customer management, field operations and flexibility. Within the new partnership, those capabilities will be applied to the charging of connected Zaptec devices.
Devrim Celal, Chief Flexibility & Marketing Officer at Kraken, said:
“As EV adoption accelerates, charging will become an increasingly important part of how we manage energy across our homes and the grid. Kraken can intelligently coordinate connected devices so charging happens when electricity is cheaper, cleaner and more abundant, lowering costs for drivers while making better use of existing grid capacity. By combining Kraken’s flexibility capabilities with Zaptec’s charging technology, we can bring those benefits to more customers and make EVs a more valuable part of the energy system.”
Building Connected Energy Services
The companies’ programme is built around the principle that charging can be scheduled in response to the availability and cost of electricity. For customers, that creates the prospect of lower charging bills. For utilities and networks, coordinated charging can help use existing grid capacity more effectively by encouraging demand at times when electricity is more abundant.
The partnership also supports Zaptec’s wider proposition across home, workplace and destination charging. Its portfolio includes 7 and 22 kW home chargers, alongside 22 kW commercial chargers, manufactured in Norway and Germany. The company operates across 17 countries and has built its product offering around open integrations with tariffs, solar systems, user apps and third-party energy services.
Kraken’s involvement gives that connected model a path into utility customer platforms, helping place the charger within a broader set of household energy services. The arrangement presents a practical example of how EV infrastructure providers and utility technology companies can make charging more responsive without requiring drivers to manage every charging decision manually.
Mercury Mark Recognition
The announcement comes after Zaptec became the first manufacturer to earn the Mercury Mark for an AC EV charger. The mark is associated with the Mercury Consortium, a vendor-neutral nonprofit organisation focused on making connected energy services, including smart charging and energy flexibility, more accessible.
That recognition sits closely alongside the Kraken agreement. Both point to the importance of interoperable technology in bringing charging devices into energy-service programmes, rather than limiting value to the initial charger installation. A customer’s charger can then become part of a service that adapts as tariffs, grid needs and available technologies develop.
European Rollout Begins
The first phase will cover the European countries in which Zaptec and Kraken are both active, with further geographies expected as the partnership expands. This provides an immediate cross-market platform for the companies to introduce connected charging services to EV drivers across western and northern Europe.
By pairing scaled charger deployment with utility-grade energy software, Zaptec and Kraken are setting out a credible model for making EV charging more useful to drivers and more responsive to the electricity system. The collaboration gives customers a clearer route to smart tariffs and connected energy services, while supporting the wider integration of electric vehicles into Europe’s changing energy mix.
