Heavy trucks need huge batteries if they are to be operated electrically. And they need really high charging performance on the go in order to be able to charge them quickly. There is talk of megawatt charging – that is exactly what Daimler Truck says it has achieved.
Developers from Mercedes-Benz’s truck segment have succeeded for the first time in charging a prototype of the battery-electric long-distance truck eActros 600 at a charging station with an output of one megawatt (1000 kilowatts), the company announced. Series production will start this year took place in the company’s own development and testing center in Wörth am Rhein near Karlsruhe. This is an enormous development step, said the head of e-charging components at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Peter Ziegler. The company is now working on bringing the technology for the MCS (Megawatt Charging System) charging standard in the eActros 600 to series production. The start of series production of the vehicle is planned for the end of this year. Customers should then be able to retrofit the MCS technology later. The competition never sleeps. Other companies are also pushing forward MCS development. Competitor MAN had already demonstrated a charging process with, according to its own information, more than 700 kilowatts in Munich in March together with the charging infrastructure provider ABB E-mobility. Super-fast charging does not always have to be the case, but MCS is still in its infancy. Charging power plays an important role in the electrification of heavy long-distance transport. Because time is a crucial factor in the logistics industry. The power with which the batteries are charged is stated in watts. To put it simply: the higher the power, the faster the charging process. So far, the CCS (Combined Charging System) fast charging system has made DC charging outputs of usually up to 350 kilowatt hours possible. For comparison: AC charging stations for electric cars often have 22 kilowatt hours available. With one megawatt – i.e. 1000 kilowatts – the batteries of the eActros 600 could be charged from 20 to 80 percent in around 30 minutes, according to Daimler Truck. This is particularly important for charging on the route, for example when stopping at a rest area when the driver has to take a break anyway. But the corresponding infrastructure would also be necessary for this. In a freight forwarder’s depot, however, an electric truck can also be charged with a lower output, for example overnight. The Mercedes eActros 600 …… has three battery packs, each with 207 kWh, which should enable a range of 500 kilometers before the truck has to be plugged in. There are two electric motors on the drive axle that generate a continuous output of 400 kW/544 hp. They briefly release up to 600 kW/816 hp. The entire tractor-trailer has a technically permissible total weight of 44 tons; the payload with a standard trailer is 22 tons.
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