Scania successfully tested a megawatt charging system (MCS) from ABB E-Mobility with a next-generation electric truck. The trial, which marks the first use of this technology in this context, is considered a critical step towards the future deployment of high-power chargers.
Although neither company has released specific details about the current test, they have confirmed that the pilot aims to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the MCS. ABB anticipates that this will lead to the gradual deployment of high-power chargers. As the project nears completion, Scania plans to provide electric trucks to its first customers with a preliminary version of the MCS standard plug this year. Meanwhile, ABB E-Mobility intends to launch the next version of the MCS technology in late 2024 or early 2025.
Fredrik Allard, Head of E-mobility at Scania, says, “We see momentum for electric transport, and our goal is that 50 per cent of all vehicles we sell annually by 2030 are electric.” He added that the MCS is a “critical piece of the puzzle for the infrastructure going forward.”
Scania and ABB are both members of the CCS initiative CharIN and are involved in developing the MSC standard. The CharIN initiative first demonstrated the MCS at the Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS35) in Oslo in mid-2022. At that time, the prototype design of the connector was unveiled at ABB’s booth, along with announcements of pilot projects in 2023 and commercial rollout in 2024.
Scania has also been on track from the beginning and demonstrated the MCS charging process with its truck at a Hypercharger column from Alpitronic at the EVS. The company notes that MCS technology is “critical” for long-haul electric trucks, where driving and resting times are regulated by law. In Scania’s example, the vehicle can be driven for a maximum of 4.5 hours before the driver needs to take a 45-minute break, and during this time, the truck must charge enough power to operate for another 4.5 hours. Due to the size of the batteries, both fast and high-power charging is essential, mainly as Scania reportedly works on extra-long-haul trucks with a gross weight of over 60 tonnes.
The Megawatt Charging System is designed for a charging voltage of up to 1,250 volts and a current of 3,000 amperes, theoretically equivalent to a charging power of up to 3.75 megawatts. Unlike with electric cars, the MCS harmonizes the position of the charging port on the vehicles, requiring the charging port to be on the left side of the vehicle, between two and 4.80 meters behind the bumper at about waist height. The standardized position is intended to simplify the layout of megawatt charging parks, and CharIN has already published several configurations for future truck charging hubs.
In September 2022, Scania announced it would launch only battery-electric vehicles from 2040, effectively phasing out diesel engines. Christian Levin, President and CEO of Scania and CEO of Volkswagen’s Traton, added at the time that they were “the only truck manufacturer to go so far as to question the diesel engine as early as 2040.” Traton, which includes Scania, oversees commercial vehicles in the Volkswagen Group and aims to sell every second commercial vehicle with an electric motor by 2030 as an interim goal.
Keyword: Scania tests ABB’s megawatt charging system for next-gen electric trucks