Scania Showcases Bi-Directional Charging for Electric Trucks to Support Grid Flexibility and Depot Energy Management

Scania Showcases Bi-Directional Charging for Electric Trucks to Support Grid Flexibility and Depot Energy Management

(IN BRIEF) Scania has demonstrated one of the world’s first vehicle-to-grid implementations for heavy commercial vehicles using the Megawatt Charging System, showing how battery-electric trucks can become active energy assets as well as transport vehicles. The demonstration highlights the potential for bi-directional charging to support grid stability, peak shaving, energy storage, renewable electricity utilisation, and smarter depot energy management. By enabling secure real-time communication between the truck, charger, and energy management systems, the solution allows charging and discharging to be adjusted dynamically based on both transport needs and grid conditions. The setup reached up to 1000 A / 750 kW and supports charging and discharging through the same charging interface. Initially, the technology is expected to be most useful in depot charging environments, where vehicles remain parked for longer periods and energy use can be coordinated with operational schedules. Scania sees vehicle-to-grid as a way to strengthen the business case for battery-electric trucks by helping fleet operators reduce energy costs, improve energy flexibility, and potentially participate in future balancing and flexibility markets.

(PRESS RELEASE) SÖDERTÄLJE, 26-May-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Scania has successfully demonstrated one of the world’s first vehicle-to-grid implementations for heavy commercial vehicles using the Megawatt Charging System, marking a major development in the integration of battery-electric trucks into the wider energy ecosystem.

The demonstration shows that electric trucks can play a broader role beyond moving goods. With bi-directional charging, battery-electric trucks can also act as flexible energy assets, helping support the power grid through services such as peak shaving, grid balancing, energy storage, and smarter management of electricity demand.

As heavy transport continues to electrify, energy systems are facing new requirements. Large-scale charging for electric trucks can place pressure on local grids and electricity infrastructure, particularly at depots and logistics hubs. At the same time, electric trucks carry substantial battery capacity that can potentially be used when vehicles are parked and not actively operating.

By enabling bi-directional power transfer in depot environments, fleet operators can improve how they manage electricity use and make better use of locally generated renewable energy, including solar power. The technology can also provide more flexibility around grid connections, charging schedules, and overall energy management.

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

The demonstration used the Megawatt Charging System, the next generation of ultra-fast charging technology being introduced for heavy electric trucks. MCS is expected to be a key enabler for long-distance electric transport, while also creating the technical foundation for future energy services such as vehicle-to-grid.

A central feature of the demonstrated solution is secure real-time communication between the truck, charger, and energy management systems. This enables charging and discharging to be adjusted dynamically based on transport requirements, depot operations, electricity demand, and grid conditions.

“What makes this significant is not only the bi-directional energy flow itself, but the ability to combine megawatt charging with intelligent energy management,” said Yorben Muller, Product Manager Charging at 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.”

Ejderhamn added that combining high-power charging with intelligent and secure energy management could strengthen the business case for battery-electric trucks by giving fleet operators new ways to optimise energy use and reduce operating costs.

The demonstrated technology supports bi-directional charging and discharging through MCS, advanced real-time communication between the vehicle, charger, and energy management systems, backend-controlled energy management, integration with external charging and energy platforms, and bi-directional energy flow through the charging interface, also known as EVSE.

For fleet operators, vehicle-to-grid capability could help reduce energy costs, support grid stability, optimise depot energy usage, improve the use of locally generated renewable electricity, and create opportunities to participate in future energy flexibility and balancing markets.

The technology could also benefit charge point operators and energy providers by improving the utilisation of charging infrastructure and local grid capacity. By creating additional value streams around electric trucks and charging infrastructure, vehicle-to-grid solutions may help accelerate the wider adoption of battery-electric transport.

In the initial phase, the technology is expected to be most relevant in depot charging environments, where vehicles are parked for longer periods and charging can be coordinated more effectively with energy demand, operational schedules, and grid conditions.

Vehicle-to-grid technology enables electricity to flow both into and out of a vehicle battery. MCS is designed for megawatt-level charging of heavy commercial vehicles. In Scania’s demonstration, the setup reached up to 1000 A / 750 kW. The demonstrated system supports both charging and discharging through the same charging interface and is designed to support future flexibility services, including peak shaving and frequency balancing.

Learn more about Scania’s battery electric transport solutions.

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SOURCE: Scania