A public demonstration of megawatt charging for electric trucks took place in Plattling, Bavaria. The event showcased an electric truck charging its batteries with over 1000 kilowatts and 1500 amps, providing a 40-tonne long-distance eTruck from MAN with a driving range of approximately 400 kilometres in 30 minutes.
The demonstration was part of the presentation of results from the NEFTON research project, launched in 2021. This project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, involved MAN Truck & Bus, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and five other partners from science and industry.
Dr Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN Truck & Bus, stated: “With NEFTON, we have succeeded in developing technologies to charge e-trucks within a very short time and with a power output of over 1,000 kW. Our research focussed on practicality, costs and grid connection power.”
Prof Markus Lienkamp from TUM, leading the NEFTON project consortium, said: “The scientific facts speak for themselves: battery electric trucks have an efficiency of around 75%. Fuel Cell trucks with an efficiency of only 26% and eFuels with an efficiency of just 14% are miles away from this.”
The research results indicate a need for fast-charging stations with up to one megawatt of charging power every 50km along core motorway routes for effective long-distance transport electrification. The project also explored charging capacities of up to 3,000kW and bidirectional charging for potential grid integration.
Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, Hubert Aiwanger, who attended the event, said: “The Megawatt Charging System (MCS) in particular, massively accelerates the charging times of trucks and is therefore a milestone for electromobility.”
MAN Truck & Bus expects half of all its new trucks registered in Europe to be electric by 2030. The company is involved in various charging infrastructure projects, including a partnership with E.ON to set up around 400 charging points at approximately 170 locations across Europe.
Industry estimates suggest a need for about 50,000 high-performance and megawatt charging stations in Europe by 2030 to support the transition to electric trucks.
