During the World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities (WSSD-U-2012), the establishments of higher education have been required to accompany the environmental changes of society. The paper questions their role in the energy transition of territories by analyzing how universities participate in the projects of smart grids in connection to electric mobility. The aim is to look at the facts and to test the promises of a radical change by improving cognition thanks to these new information and communication technologies. From an international and local analysis, the “smart ontology” is revisited on the university ground. A state of international diffusion and a review of scientific literature open the discussions on the concept of “breakthrough innovation” such as it is associated with the introduction of smart technologies into the energy field. The case of action research “Smart Campus” puts into perspective the enchanted explanations of successful innovation.