The rapid expansion of renewable energy sources and the growing adoption of electric passenger vehicles (EVs) necessitate intelligent energy management strategies to ensure grid stability and operational efficiency. Achieving a sustainable energy system requires very high shares of renewable energy, potentially up to 100%. To balance fluctuations in renewable generation and electricity demand, energy storage technologies are essential. Stationary battery storage is an effective solution, but battery production is associated with significant emissions and resource consumption. From a sustainability perspective, minimizing additional battery production is therefore desirable. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G), which enables bidirectional energy exchange between EVs and the power grid, offers a promising alternative by utilizing batteries that are already installed in electric vehicles instead of deploying additional stationary storage systems. This increases resource efficiency and reduces the environmental impact of energy storage deployment. At the same time, automated charging technologies can further improve the sustainability of future mobility and energy systems by increasing the usability of electric vehicles and optimizing charging infrastructure utilization, particularly in long-term parking scenarios such as airports. As vehicle automation advances, the relevance of automated charging solutions will continue to grow. However, it remains unclear whether automation will support or hinder the implementation of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concepts and their potential contribution to a more sustainable transport and energy sector. This paper therefore provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in automated charging systems and evaluates their suitability for enabling grid-supportive V2G applications. Using a weighted point rating system, different technologies are systematically assessed across relevant EV use cases. The results highlight both synergies and trade-offs between automation and V2G, offering insights into how automated charging technologies can be designed to maximize their contribution to sustainable mobility and energy systems.

Background: Road transport accounts for 73% of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions within the EU, 27% of which are attributable to heavy-duty vehicles. In order to reduce emissions in the area of heavy-duty commercial vehicles, electrifying the fleet offers a perspective. As part of a cooperation between TU Berlin, Siemens and BLG Logistics within the Mobility2Grid research campus, an analysis was carried out to determine how an exemplary BLG depot for regional logistics transport with six diesel trucks can be converted to battery–electric trucks. Methods: This analysis was conducted under a fixed depot schedule with defined dwell times and charging opportunities, with the aim of developing practical recommendations for the acquisition of suitable vehicles and infrastructure. To this end, simulations were carried out using the eFlips consumption and depot simulation software developed at TU Berlin. Results and Conclusions The results show that electrification for regional logistics transport can already be fully implemented with the current state of the art technology and that neither very large batteries nor very high charging powers are required for technically feasible and economically balanced operation. Notably, the cost-optimal battery capacities identified (approximately 200–230 kWh) are currently smaller than those of commercially available 40 t electric trucks, revealing a gap between the model-optimal configuration and present market offerings. Based on the identified optimal configuration, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to evaluate the environmental impact of fleet electrification. Over a 10-year lifetime, the battery–electric fleet reduces cumulative greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 53% compared to the diesel baseline, with operational-phase savings clearly outweighing higher production-related emissions. The combined techno-economic and environmental assessment provides a structured decision basis for depot-centered fleet electrification.