The Truck as a Power Bank

Three Applications, One Goal: Using Energy Intelligently

As part of SPIRIT-E, three concrete application scenarios were tested that address different needs of logistics companies and grid operators: Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V): One eTruck charges another – ideal where charging infrastructure is still being developed or where energy needs to be exchanged between vehicles at short notice. Vehicle-to-Site (V2S): The stored electricity from the truck battery flows directly into the company's own operational infrastructure – for the building, the charging infrastructure of other vehicles, or to increase self-consumption of photovoltaic power. Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): The eTruck feeds energy back into the public grid – for example when electricity is particularly in demand or to support grid stability. Operators could thus generate additional revenue. From the end of this decade, V2G is likely to become an increasingly attractive business model. In practice, companies can reduce their electricity price by around ten to 20 percent.

Important to note: Bidirectional charging is not a panacea for every application. Those who rarely or never charge their vehicles at the depot – such as in long-distance transport – benefit less. The technology is particularly useful for eTrucks in local and regional transport with annual mileage below 100,000 kilometers and sufficient downtime at the depot.