Intentional and unintentional Fraud in EV charging: Why does it happen and how you can protect yourself as an MSP
The smart charging card - cashback for smart charging
The beginning of world wide smart charging
On February 5th 2024 Deftpower enabled the first cashback rewards for EV drivers using smart charging. This groundbreaking initiative was launched in Amsterdam. Deftpower partnered with charge point operator Equans and the City of Amsterdam to make charging cheaper, cleaner, and grid-aware.
Since February 2025, Mobility Service Providers (MSPs) on the Deftpower platform have been offering cashback rewards to EV drivers in Amsterdam. Depending on the charging session, cashback amounts range from €0.20 to €30 per session. This marks the arrival of the MSP 2.0 - who acts as broker for the EV driver in the energy markets.
As the price difference between peak and off-peak hours increases, the real-time energy arbitrage performed by the MSP 2.0. becomes more lucrative and the savings are passed on to the EV driver.
Amsterdam is just the beginning. Ultimately, two-thirds of all charging sessions should generate cashback for EV drivers. Why? Because today, EV drivers pay too much for electricity at charging stations. Our analysis, based on millions of charging sessions, confirms that electricity costs can lower between 10-20%.
So why are we overpaying, and how does Deftpower solve this problem?
1.Valley Pricing – charging off-peak for the lowest electricity costs
Our data shows that 69% of energy consumption could have occurred at lower energy rates.
Charge point operators (CPOs) and MSPs charge fixed prices for electricity, meaning that EV drivers pay the same kWh price regardless of when they charge. However, the energy market doesn’t work that way—it has 24 different price points per day. This means that fixed prices are essentially an average of fluctuating hourly market rates, sometimes making charging unnecessarily expensive.
We unlock savings for EV drivers by aligning charging sessions with the cheapest energy hours, even when drivers pay a fixed price. While the driver doesn’t immediately see these fluctuations, the CPO or energy supplier does—lowering their costs while maintaining their sale price. This creates room for cashback rewards to be passed on to the EV driver.
Do EV drivers have the patience and flexibility to charge at different hours? The answer is yes.
Our data shows that 69% of energy consumption could have occurred at lower energy rates. This is because EVs typically remain connected to charging stations three times longer than they actually charge. For every hour spent charging, they spend an additional two hours idle, creating a significant opportunity to shift charging to cheaper time slots.
But what exactly is this “valley”? On average, an EV charging session lasts 3–4 hours. Deftpower identifies the cheapest 3–4-hour time blocks of the charging session, known as the valley, ensuring that charging occurs at the lowest possible cost.
2.Better economics for CPOs, EV drivers and grid operators
By steering charging sessions toward the valley, Deftpower increases profit margins for whoever is exposed to real-time energy prices—the CPO or its energy supplier. These stakeholders still charge a fixed rate to drivers but benefit from a 20% lower purchasing price on average. Now the hidden savings potential is monetized.
The first CPO to benefit from this economic optimization was Equans, operating in Amsterdam. Together with our partner ANWB, Equans has introduced a charging model where EV drivers earn an income for smart charging whilst the CPO sees their energy bills reduced as well.
Scaling this across millions of European charging stations over the next decade, we estimate that over €10 billion in value can be unlocked by shifting demand to optimal grid hours. This is money currently lost due to inefficiencies—extra costs that burden both EV drivers and CPOs simply because charging demand isn't properly aligned with energy supply.
Meanwhile, grid operators benefit for free. Load shifting from peak to off-peak hours can reduce grid congestion by up to 95% daily, preventing the need for costly infrastructure upgrades and potentially saving billions of euros in unnecessary investments.
3.I am a Charge Point Operator – how can I improve my economics with Valley Pricing?
No technical integration required
No complex adjustments via roaming hubs or OCPI
All smart charging is managed in the cloud
Valley Pricing eliminates the hassle of managing dynamic tariffs. Instead of publishing new pricing daily for hundreds of MSPs, struggling with fluctuating CDRs and invoices, CPOs can offload this complexity to Deftpower.
For CPOs, Valley Pricing is a classic “less is more”:
Less operational burden
Less investment
Less error-prone pricing management
More revenue
4.The best driver experience
EV drivers simply continue using their existing public charging app. The process is seamless.
The best part? No additional smart charging apps are required.
EV drivers simply continue using their existing public charging app. The process is seamless.
To encourage charging flexibility, the driver experience is key. Cashbacks should be easy to access and automated—and that’s exactly what the MSP 2.0 provides. Today, the only action required from the driver is setting their departure time.
By 2026, AI-based algorithms will handle everything automatically. Drivers will earn cashbacks just by plugging in—no extra steps needed.
However, EV drivers always remain in control. The "override" button allows them to disable smart charging at any time, ensuring that the final decision always rests with the driver, not the MSP or CPO.
5.The Future of MSPs is the MSP 2.0
All MSPs on the Deftpower platform receive Valley Pricing for free, allowing them to offer cheaper charging to their customers. As this feature is expanded across European CPOs, MSPs will see a growing number of smart charging sessions among their users.
This is the arrival of MSP 2.0 - the first truly smart charging card. For CPOs, MSPs, and EV drivers looking to unlock the next level of smart charging, the time to act is now.
Contact us to be part of the future of efficient, affordable, and grid-friendly EV charging.
