Flexibility is a trust issue: Virta's Eemil Rauma at ICNC26

At ICNC26, Virta's Eemil Rauma showed how invisible grid flexibility, energy resilience and public trust will shape Europe's charging network towards 2040.

Eemil Rauma, Head of Government Relations and Advocacy at Virta, joined the ICNC26 panel "Powering 2040: Clean Energy, Smart Grids, and the Drivers They Serve". He shared the stage with Johannes Pallasch (NOW GmbH) and Eduard Schlutius (reev).

Eemil Rauma spoke as chair of Eurelectric's e-mobility working group and brought insights from the Nordics.

In brief:

• Good flexibility is invisible. Finnish public chargers have supported the grid for over three years without affecting drivers.
• Flexibility lowers costs. It reduces grid investment and saves money for operators, fleets and drivers.
• Charging is critical infrastructure. Electrified transport makes Europe less dependent on imported fossil fuels.

Invisible flexibility is already here

In Finland, public chargers have taken part in the Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances (FCR-D) market for more than three years. Around ten times a day, charging power drops by 10 to 20% for about ten seconds. The driver notices nothing. The grid gets a fast, reliable reserve.

Virta offers this to charging operators today. See how it works.

Flexibility lowers costs

A 2025 study by Eurelectric and EY estimates that European distribution system operators could save around €4 billion a year as flexibility reduces the need for grid expansion. Drivers could save €450 to €2,900 a year through smart and bidirectional charging.

Eemil Rauma also pointed to results from Virta's own energy services. They have lowered fleet energy costs by 27%.

Charging is critical infrastructure

According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), the Netherlands, Italy, France and Spain paid almost €41 billion more for fossil fuel imports between March and August 2026. They received no additional energy for it.

Transport that runs on European electricity is more resilient. In Finland, companies critical to society already prepare for crisis scenarios together through the National Emergency Supply Agency.

"Moving to 2040 is not a technological issue. It is a trust issue. As an industry, we need to do better at communicating that electrification makes everyone better off. People need to understand the value, otherwise even the best technology will not be adopted," said Eemil Rauma on the panel, speaking as chair of Eurelectric's e-mobility working group.

Watch panel:

Powering 2040: Clean Energy, Smart Grids, and the Drivers They Serve

Powering 2040: Clean Energy, Smart Grids, and the Drivers They Serve

Turn your charging network into a revenue stream

Virta's grid flexibility service lets charge point operators earn from infrastructure they already own. Operators are paid for making charging capacity available to the power system. Individual networks are too small to access these markets alone, so Virta pools capacity across operators.

• Additional revenue. Earnings grow with your charging volumes. No additional hardware is needed.
• Any platform. It works regardless of which charge point management system you run.
• AC and DC. Your whole network can contribute.
• Limited impact. Charging power is only reduced at times of grid stress or extreme price volatility, within limits agreed with you.

French operator Modulo, with around 1,600 charging points, is among the first to take part. Read the announcement.