MAN Truck & Bus
26 Jul 2024
Megawatt milestone in mid-July in Lower Bavaria: for the first time, an electric truck has publicly charged its batteries with more than 1,000 kilowatts and 1,500 amps.
Applause in Plattling: as soon as the wattage on the monitor rises above the magic 1,000 mark, the spectators applaud. The display is right next to an eTruck from MAN, which is being charged with more than one megawatt for the first time. Ultra-fast refueling is an important prerequisite for electrifying long-distance freight transport and thus making it more climate-friendly. So it's no wonder that Hubert Aiwanger, Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, and Prof. Monika Schnitzer, Chairwoman of the German Council of Economic Experts, also attended the megawatt premiere in Plattling. Around 200 other guests from the worlds of politics, media, business and science also attended the event.
The charging demonstration was part of the NEFTON research project launched in 2021. In this project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, MAN Truck & Bus, the Technical University of Munich and five other partners from science and industry analyzed the system consisting of an all-electric truck, charging station and grid connection and designed it for various application scenarios.
The focus here is on the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) for ultra-fast charging of electric trucks during the driver's break or when loading and unloading at the ramp. MCS makes electric trucks an emission-free alternative to today's diesel trucks in all common transportation applications - including long-distance transport. This is important because around 80 percent of all goods in Germany are transported by road. This means that road freight transport accounts for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in freight transport. The switch to zero emissions is therefore an important contribution to achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.
"With NEFTON, we have succeeded in developing technologies to charge electric trucks within a very short time and with an output of over 1,000 kW. The research focus was on practicality, costs and grid connection power,” says Dr. Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN Truck & Bus. "Together with our project partners, we have clearly demonstrated that electric trucks and megawatt charging are the perfect combination for the comprehensive decarbonization of road freight transport. The technology is there - now we need to drive forward the expansion of the charging infrastructure in the market in close cooperation with politicians, the energy industry and vehicle manufacturers."
According to estimates, around 50,000 high-performance and megawatt charging points will be needed by 2030 to drive forward the mobility transition for trucks in Europe. While electrification is possible in regional and distribution operations via a charging infrastructure in the logistics centers, long-distance transport along the core routes of the freeway network requires fast charging stations with up to one megawatt of charging power every 50 kilometers. Outputs of up to 3,000 kW were also investigated by NEFTON. They could even further increase the operational efficiency and flexibility of electric trucks in long-distance transport.
Hubert Aiwanger (left), Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy and Dr. Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN Truck & Bus load the new MAN eTruck with over 1,000 kW..
Presentation of the results of the NEFTON charging infrastructure research project (from left) in Plattling: Prof. Markus Lienkamp, Technical University of Munich, Dr. Frederik Zohm, MAN Truck & Bus, Prof. Veronika Fetzer, Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Minister of State Hubert Aiwanger, Egon Leo Westphal, Bayernwerke AG, Prof. Monika Schnitzer, Chairwoman of the Wirtschaftsweisen.
"The research project shows: High-tech and expertise from Bavaria are shaping the mobility of the future,” emphasized Aiwanger. "I would therefore like to thank everyone who has successfully participated in the NEFTON project. The Megawatt Charging System in particular massively accelerates the charging times of trucks and is therefore a milestone for electromobility. MAN has already proven the practicality of this technology and played a key role in its standardization. We are also taking MCS technology into account in our current funding program. In the first round, we are financing 86 charging points for road freight transport, and the next call for funding is due to start in late fall."
Text: Christian Buck
Photos: MAN
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