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Ladeinfrastruktur

Megawatt Charging: MAN Research Project Continues to Accelerate with Electric Trucks

As part of the Nefton research project, an electric truck was charged with over 1,000 kW for the first time at the Plattling Technology Campus. In the future, up to 3,000 kW is envisioned. Bidirectional charging is also expected to become possible.

At the start of the charging process: (from left) Hubert Aiwanger, Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy with Dr. Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN Truck & Bus. (Photo: MAN)
At the start of the charging process: (from left) Hubert Aiwanger, Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy with Dr. Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN Truck & Bus. (Photo: MAN)
22.07.2024
Christine Harttmann

It is a milestone achieved on July 19, 2024, at the research campus in Lower Bavarian Plattling: For the first time, an electric truck publicly charges its batteries with more than 1,000 kilowatts and 1,500 amperes. Enough to charge MAN's 40-ton long-haul eTruck to 80 percent in 30 minutes, equivalent to a range of around 400 kilometers.

The loading premiere was part of the presentation of the results of the Nefton research project launched in 2021. In addition to MAN Truck & Bus and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), five other partners from science and industry are involved in the project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The focus is on the development of the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) for ultra-fast electric refueling of e-trucks during the driver’s rest period or when loading and unloading at the ramp. For this purpose, the project partners analyzed the system consisting of a fully electric truck, charging station, and grid connection and designed it for various use scenarios.

The charging plug for the first public trial of megawatt charging in prototype status was plugged in by Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters), the State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy. Also present were the Chairwoman of the Council of Economic Experts, Prof. Monika Schnitzer, as well as around 200 other guests from politics, media, business, and science.

"With Nefton, we have succeeded in developing technologies to charge electric trucks in the shortest possible time with a power output of over 1,000 kW. The research focused on practical applicability, costs, and grid connection performance," said Dr. Frederik Zohm with delight.

The MAN board member for development regards the project as evidence that electric trucks and megawatt charging are "the perfect combination" for the comprehensive decarbonization of road freight transport.

"The technology is there; now it is a matter of advancing the expansion of charging infrastructure in the market with close cooperation between politics, the energy industry, and vehicle manufacturers."

Zohm once again clearly positioned himself in Plattling regarding electromobility. For MAN, it is clear: "BEV First," he said in a panel discussion following the successful charging trial. At MAN, they are convinced that with megawatt charging, the electric truck is the emissions-free alternative to today's diesel truck in all common transport applications—also in long-haul transport.

The lever for CO2 reduction in transportation, especially in heavy-duty transport, is significant. About 80 percent of all goods are transported by road in Germany. Road freight traffic thus constitutes the largest part of greenhouse gas emissions in freight transport. Therefore, transitioning to Zero Emission trucks is a crucial lever to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Prof. Markus Lienkamp, from the Chair of Automotive Engineering at TUM, who is leading the Nefton project consortium, agreed with Zohm's assessment:

"The scientific facts speak clearly: Battery-electric trucks have an efficiency of about 75 percent. Fuel cell trucks with only 26 percent efficiency and eFuels with a mere 14 percent efficiency are miles away from that. However, the actual effective deployment of electric trucks still lacks the infrastructure on major traffic routes. For this, the technology of megawatt charging is a tremendous step forward."

State Minister Hubert Aiwanger also spared no praise:

"The research project shows: High-tech and expertise from Bavaria are shaping the mobility of the future. Such initiatives gradually decarbonize logistics and freight transport and thus also strengthen Bavaria as a location."

Especially the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) massively accelerates the charging times of trucks and is therefore a milestone for electromobility.

 

Translated from German for your convenience automatically with the help of AI. An error-free translation cannot be guaranteed. More international IAA-News here.