Siemens Smart Infrastructure said it has completed the first successful 1 megawatt charge for commercial vehicles, calling it a technological breakthrough.

The company said the breakthrough came in a pilot program that brought together a prototype megawatt charging system station from Siemens and a long-haul prototype battery-electric truck from a well-established truck maker.

Currently, commercially available battery-electric trucks can't actually take advantage of a full MCS charge. But Siemens and other companies are developing and installing MCS charging in anticipation of truck technology advancements, noting that faster charging is needed in order for battery-electric vehicles to make sense for many trucking operations.

A Game-Changer for Truck Charging

Growth in the battery electric truck industry is being driven by technological developments in both battery and charger technology, Siemens said in a press release.

In combination with the current Combined Charging System, Siemens said the Megawatt Charging System standard will become a game-changer in heavy-duty electrification. So Siemens has introduced a prototype of the Sicharge Megawatt Charging System and recently announced a successfuly charging pilot with a battery-electric heavy-duty truck.

Siemens' MCS consists of multiple Sicharge UC150 power cabinets, a switching matrix, and a customized MCS dispenser.

The switching matrix is the central element in the MCS, bundling the output power of the charging stations and, depending on the requirement, directing the power to the MCS dispenser.

Batteries commonly used in electric trucks could go from a 20% charge to 80% in about 30 minutes at a suitable charging station with an output of around 1 megawatt.

“Especially in long-distance transport, electric trucks and coaches will need fast MCS during the legally prescribed driving time break," said Markus Mildner, CEO eMobility, Siemens Smart Infrastructure.

“The successful test brings us a big step forward on the technology side and underlines our ambition to actively make transport more sustainable.”

Siemens said the electrification of long-distance trucking will change the business model of transport companies and create room for competitive advantage on several levels.

More and more customers of transport companies are attaching importance to CO2-neutral transportation of their goods – providers who cannot meet this requirement will miss out, the company added.