V2G Live Demo: 40-Tonne Electric Truck Powers the Grid

The German research project SPIRIT-E has conducted a live demonstration showing how a heavy-duty electric truck can feed energy back into a company's local grid — and contribute to broader grid stability. The test took place in a real-world industrial environment, using a MAN electric 40-tonne truck connected via SBRS charging infrastructure.

What makes this demonstration significant is the use of ISO 15118-20, the international communication standard that enables intelligent, bidirectional energy exchange between EVs and the grid. Until now, V2G technology has largely been demonstrated with passenger cars and light vans; applying it to heavy commercial vehicles is a meaningful step forward.

During downtime — such as overnight parking or loading operations — the truck was able to supply energy to the facility's on-site network. This vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability transforms parked trucks into temporary energy storage assets, which could help fleet operators reduce peak demand charges or participate in grid balancing markets.

For the wider EU energy transition, integrating heavy transport into demand-response and grid services represents a largely untapped resource. If scaled, commercial EV fleets could collectively act as distributed battery storage, easing pressure on grids increasingly fed by variable renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.