As part of our mission to open the electricity ecosystem to multiple actors for a real decarbonisation opportunity, OPENTUNITY is proud to share the latest results from our Slovenian pilot. From February 1st to March 31st, 2026, our partners SETUP and AVANTCAR successfully completed a two-month demonstration of a cutting-edge day-ahead participation algorithm designed to optimize electric vehicle (EV) charging operations.

The Challenge: Random Charging vs. Grid Needs

In a traditional, non-optimized environment, EV charging sessions often start at random times, typically when a user arrives home or plugs in for the night. This lack of coordination can lead to higher costs for charging operators and unnecessary strain on the electricity grid. Within the OPENFLEX category of our project, focused on increasing flexibility in prosumer environments, we sought to prove that smart scheduling can significantly reduce these inefficiencies.

The Solution: Smart Scheduling in Ljubljana

The demonstration took place at several AVANTCAR EV charging locations across Ljubljana, Slovenia, including sites at Peca, Gerbičeva, and Novo Brdo. Using the SETUP aggregation platform and the OptiView monitoring dashboards, the team applied a sophisticated algorithm to a portfolio of six charging stations.

How the algorithm works:

• Time Window: It focuses on the night interval (18:00–06:00).
• Price Signals: It utilizes day-ahead electricity price signals to identify the most cost-effective charging windows.
• Strategic Shifting: Instead of charging immediately, the system shifts sessions toward the less cost-intensive hours after midnight.
• Impactful Results: A 68% Improvement

To measure success, the demonstration results were compared against a baseline period (December 2025 – January 2026) where no optimization was applied.
The findings were definitive:

• Baseline Performance: Without optimization, there was an 18.9% gap between actual charging costs and the theoretical least-cost scenario.
• Demo Performance: With the OPENTUNITY algorithm active, this gap was slashed to just 5.99%.
• Overall Efficiency: This represents an improvement of approximately 68% in aligning charging behavior with optimal price intervals.

Real-World Readiness

This demonstration confirms that the OPENTUNITY optimization tools are practical solutions ready for real operating conditions. By effectively steering charging toward low-price hours, we are providing tangible value to flexibility service providers and EV charging operators.

This milestone is a key part of our broader effort in Slovenia to utilize the flexibility potential of domestic assets and EVs to provide services to the Distribution Grid, ultimately fostering a more resilient and sustainable energy ecosystem.