MAN Demonstrates Bidirectional Charging for Electric Trucks, Cutting Energy Costs by 10-20%
MAN Truck & Bus, in partnership with the SPIRIT-E project, has demonstrated bidirectional charging for battery-electric trucks under real-world conditions, potentially reducing energy costs by 10 to 20 percent.
480 kWh
10–20%
20,000 km/year
What Happened
MAN Truck & Bus has demonstrated bidirectional charging for electric trucks for the first time in Europe, using a battery-electric MAN eTGX with 480 kWh usable energy. The demonstration took place at the Schmid logistics site in Obertraubling, Germany, under the SPIRIT-E research project. The technology enables electric trucks to not only charge but also store and feed energy back, acting as flexible power banks on wheels.
“Bidirectional charging changes the role of the electric truck. Our eTrucks become power banks on wheels that can help reduce energy costs and strengthen the energy system. SPIRIT-E has shown the potential of this technology and how electric trucks will help shape the energy transition.”
- Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V): Transfer energy between trucks to balance loads.
- Vehicle-to-Site (V2S): Use truck battery to power building infrastructure or avoid peak loads.
- Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): Feed energy back to the public grid for additional revenue.
10–20%%
Equates to up to 20,000 km of free driving per year for a truck doing 100,000 km annually.
Why this matters
This technology turns electric trucks into mobile energy storage units, allowing fleet operators to save energy costs and support grid stability, making electric trucks more economical compared to diesels.
Terms in This Story
- Bidirectional charging
- Technology that allows an electric vehicle to both charge from and discharge energy back to the grid, a building, or another vehicle.
- Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G)
- A system where electric vehicles feed energy back into the public electricity grid.
- Vehicle-to-Site (V2S)
- Using an electric vehicle's battery to power a building or site, such as a warehouse.
- Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V)
- Direct transfer of energy between two electric vehicles.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.