At Virta, we constantly seek to have a deep understanding of what is happening in the world, especially in the energy industry. This never-ending hunger for knowledge, along with our drive to find the best global practices are key elements of our DNA. We also pride ourselves in being adaptable, results-oriented, and always willing to help each other.
We believe that climate change can be solved with energy efficiency, renewables, and by electrifying all parts of our society. Renewables cause volatility to our energy system and need flexibility and demand response elements to keep our system stable, reliable, and reasonably priced. Renewables need electric vehicles.
In 2009, the equation of energy and electric vehicles became visible in research. Ultimately, electric vehicles (EVs) are big batteries on wheels. They are the most important new source of flexibility in our energy system. EVs connect sustainable transportation and energy into an embedded ecosystem. Thus, electric vehicles become engines of change. In fact, the equation between energy and mobility is one of the key drivers in solving climate change.
The Co-Founders of Virta, CEO, Jussi Palola and CBO, Elias Pöyry, understood that the future of mobility is electric. Prior to 2013, there were no technologies in the market that would integrate the EV ecosystem with the energy system. Virta was founded in 2013 with a vision to solve this: to integrate electric mobility, the energy system, and digital sectors into one ecosystem. This ecosystem would be more powerful than the sum of its parts.
The mission of Virta has been crystal clear from the beginning: to enable the convergence of mobility and energy on a system level by bringing EVs into people’s everyday lives and into the energy system.
The Finnish government support system for innovations was crucial for Virta during the early years. Eighteen energy utility companies participated in the first round of funding for Virta. This enabled us to build a viable product concept.
From day one, Virta has been international. Initially, we wanted to bring e-mobility to the Finnish streets, but our first customer ended up being Swisscharge from Switzerland.
The Virta network has grown faster than the general market every year. In 2016 the market in Europe grew 52%, while Virta grew 113%. In 2019, we grew 5 times faster than the market average, and in 2020, we were ranked as the fastest growing EV charging platform in Europe.
As we have grown, our goal of being the key enabler of solving climate change has become even more important. We empower our customers by enabling them to champion electric vehicles and renewable energy amplified by our global digital ecosystem.
Today our digital platform connects all of the key players in the electric vehicle ecosystem and provides services for the whole value chain – all over the world. Virta offers the most cost-effective channel to launch, scale, and operate commercial services in an EV charging ecosystem – as a primary business or as a value-added service.
Become part of the ecosystem. Let’s take charge of the future – together.
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