70k SmartCharge sessions optimised for either low carbon and/or high renewables (‘green’) | 203g of CO2 avoided on average per ‘green’ optimised charge | 450% more CO2 avoided per ‘green’ optimised Monta SmartCharge |

Electricity Maps: Organising the world's electricity data
In May 2023, Electricity Maps and Monta entered into a strategic partnership to enhance electric vehicle (EV) charging with a focus on reducing carbon emissions.
Electricity Maps is a fast-growing Danish start-up that plays a pivotal role in the global transition to a decarbonised electricity system by organising and mapping real-time carbon intensity data from over 200 zones worldwide. Their API enables individuals and businesses to make informed decisions about their electricity consumption.
The challenge
At Monta, we’re committed to shaping the future of EV charging, ensuring that electrification (which is considered key for reducing carbon emissions) is truly sustainable.
By their very nature, EVs are reliant on the world’s energy sources for power. However, the environmental impact of these energy sources varies greatly. EV drivers who obtain their power directly from the national electricity grid, as opposed to other sources such as solar panels, have very little control over the source of their electricity. This makes it difficult for these users to control and regulate their emissions from charging their EV.
We wanted to find a way to give EV drivers greater control over their charging emissions: by enabling them to charge at a time when the carbon intensity of electricity is lower and production from sustainable energy sources is higher.
The solution
To enable this, we entered into a strategic partnership with Electricity Maps, who share our goal of reducing global carbon emissions. We receive granular carbon intensity data from Electricity Maps via one standardised API, which informs 2 of 3 variables in our SmartCharge algorithm:
- Charging when CO2 is lowest
- And charging when electricity is primarily from renewable sources

Now, users have the freedom to set their SmartCharge preferences in the Monta Charge app based on what is most important to them, allocating a percentage (%) of prioritisation to each of the three variables; CO2 intensity, renewables availability, or price. Monta’s SmartCharge algorithm then uses these settings to determine the optimal, bespoke charging schedule.
The integration of carbon intensity data makes the combination of both price and emissions reductions variables possible, which is unlike most Smart Charging algorithms which only consider ‘price’ variables.

The Results
12 months in, it’s encouraging to see the results of our partnership so far.
Over the course of the year, almost 70,000 SmartCharge sessions were optimised for cleaner, greener charging, with each charge avoiding 203g of CO2 on average. In comparison, a “regular” SmartCharge session that’s price-optimised avoids just 37g on average - this is because SmartCharges that are only price-sensitive can sometimes prioritise charging at times with much higher emissions for very small savings in price per kWh. This shows that in combining both price and emissions reductions, a Monta SmartCharge can on average avoid 4.5 X more CO2 in a single charge than a “regular” SmartCharge that is optimised for price only.
What’s next?
Our partnership with Electricity Maps exemplifies how data-driven solutions can drive substantial environmental benefits. In using real-time carbon intensity data we’re enabling users to charge their EVs with cleaner electricity, which has the power to contribute significantly to the global green energy transition.
Clearly, the more people that optimise for greener, cleaner charging, the better it is for the planet. So our goal is simple: to increase the total number of Smart Charge users and to increase the % of users optimising their charge in this way.
Encouragingly, during the first quarter of the year the number of people optimising in this way rose by 48% which gives us great motivation to continue strengthening our partnership with Electricity Maps for the greener, cleaner future of EV charging.