Swedish truck manufacturer Scania has demonstrated what it described as one of the world’s first vehicle-to-grid (V2G) implementations for heavy commercial vehicles using Megawatt Charging System (MCS) technology, highlighting the potential for electric trucks to support electricity grids through bi-directional charging.
The demonstration showed how battery-electric heavy-duty trucks can not only consume electricity but also return power to the grid to provide services including peak shaving, energy storage and grid balancing.
Scania said the project comes as electrification of heavy transport places growing demands on electricity infrastructure while also creating opportunities to use parked electric trucks as mobile energy storage assets.
The company said bi-directional charging in depot environments could help operators improve use of locally generated renewable energy, including solar power, while increasing flexibility in grid connection and energy management.
Tobias Ejderhamn, global manager for transformation and new business at Scania, said electric trucks could eventually become active participants in energy markets.
“Electric trucks will not only consume electricity, they can also become an active resource in the energy system,” Ejderhamn said.
“This shift transforms the fleet operator’s role from solely providing transport services to also offering energy flexibility,” he added.
The demonstration used Megawatt Charging System technology, an ultra-fast charging standard currently being introduced for heavy-duty electric vehicles.
Scania said the system supports secure real-time communication between trucks, charging infrastructure and energy management platforms, allowing charging and discharging activity to be dynamically managed based on transport schedules and grid conditions.
Yorben Muller, product manager charging at TRATON, said the demonstration combined high-power charging with intelligent energy management systems.
“What makes this significant is not only the bi-directional energy flow itself, but the ability to combine megawatt charging with intelligent energy management,” Muller said.
“To our knowledge, this is one of the world’s first demonstrations of vehicle-to-grid functionality using MCS for heavy commercial vehicles,” he added.
“The truck, charger and energy system can communicate with each other in real time, creating the foundation for heavy electric vehicles to become active and controllable assets in the energy system.”
Scania said the demonstration reached charging levels of up to 1,000 amperes and 750 kilowatts.
According to the company, the system supports both charging and discharging through the same charging interface while enabling integration with external charging and energy management systems.
Scania said the technology could help fleet operators lower energy costs, improve renewable energy utilisation, optimise depot energy consumption and participate in future grid balancing and flexibility markets.
The company added that the technology may also improve utilisation of charging infrastructure and local grid capacity for charging operators and energy providers.
Initially, Scania expects the technology to be most applicable in depot charging environments where trucks remain parked for longer periods and energy flows can be coordinated with electricity demand conditions.