Scania has successfully demonstrated one of the world’s first vehicle-to-grid (V2G) implementations for heavy commercial vehicles using Megawatt Charging System (MCS), marking an important step towards integrating heavy electric transport into the wider energy system. 

The innovative demonstration shows how battery-electric trucks can do more than transport goods. Through bi-directional charging, trucks can also support the power grid by providing flexibility services such as peak shaving, grid balancing, and energy storage.

As the electrification of heavy transport accelerates, the need for flexibility in energy systems is increasing. Large-scale charging of heavy vehicles places new demands on local grids and electricity infrastructure. At the same time, electric trucks represent significant mobile battery capacity that can be used when vehicles are parked. 

Using bi-directional power transfer within depot operations can also improve the utilisation of local renewable energy generation such as solar power, while creating greater flexibility around grid connection and energy management.

“Electric trucks will not only consume electricity, they can also become an active resource in the energy system,” says Tobias Ejderhamn, Global Manager, Transformation & New Business, Scania. “This shift transforms the fleet operator’s role from solely providing transport services to also offering energy flexibility.” 

The demonstration was carried out using Megawatt Charging System (MCS), the new generation of ultra-fast charging technology that is now being introduced for heavy electric trucks. MCS is expected to play a key role in enabling long-distance electric transport and future energy services such as vehicle-to-grid.

The system enables secure real-time communication between the truck, the charger, and energy management systems. This allows charging and discharging to be dynamically controlled, based on transport needs and conditions in the power grid.

“What makes this significant is not only the bi-directional energy flow itself, but the ability to combine megawatt charging with intelligent energy management,” says Yorben Muller, Product Manager Charging, TRATON. “To our knowledge, this is one of the world’s first demonstrations of vehicle-to-grid functionality using MCS for heavy commercial vehicles. 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.”

“The ability to combine high-power charging with intelligent and secure energy management could also strengthen the business case for battery electric trucks by creating new ways for fleet operators to optimise energy usage and lower their operational costs,” adds Ejderhamn.