MAN and ABB in megawatt charging premiere
At the MCS charging premiere in Munich: Dr Markus Söder, Bavarian Minister President, Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO MAN Truck & Bus, and Michael Halbherr, CEO ABB E-mobility
ABB E-mobility and MAN Truck & Bus celebrated the premiere of the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) in March, in the presence of Bavarian Minister President Dr Markus Söder.
The MAN eTruck was charged with more than 700 kW and 1,000 A at an ABB E-mobility MCS charging station.
Megawatt charging is particularly pertinent to national and international long-distance transport, or loading and unloading scenarios. Electric trucks and, in the future, electric coaches will need a fast MCS booster during legally prescribed driving breaks.
The premiere took place at MAN’s development centre in Munich, where one of the first megawatt charging points in Germany was installed by ABB E-mobility.
“With MCS, sustainable long-distance transport with trucks and buses will be possible in the near future,” said Michael Halbherr, CEO of ABB E-mobility.
“We have proven that today. Even if we are still showing a prototype here: with the new MCS standard, we have not only doubled the amperage but also the charging capacity within just a few years. To achieve the energy transition in transport, we need solutions that are sustainable, reliable and economical.
“To achieve this, we need to think integratively and work together. Today’s demonstration is also the result of close collaboration between MAN and ABB E-mobility and the entire industry.”
Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, reiterated his call for more speed in the expansion of charging infrastructure during the premiere: “The goal is 30,000 MCS charging points in Europe by 2030, around 4,000 of them in Germany. We put one of the first charging points into operation today.
“We don’t have much time left to set it up. The electric trucks are available, megawatt charging is working. We now need clear signals from politicians, not least to build trust among our customers in favour of electrification. We now need to build and scale up the infrastructure quickly.”
A lot of energy is needed for MCS charging, says MAN; when so much electricity is flowing, the infrastructure behind the visible charging points, the grid connections and the space requirements – e.g. at motorway service stations, car parks or truck stops – play a key role. Grid expansion and the digitalisation of the grids are not only essential for the future supply of renewable energy, says the manufacturer, but also a prerequisite for the charging infrastructure.
Dr Markus Söder, Bavarian Minister President, added: “Bavaria on the way to the mobility of the future: today, the starting signal was given for the first megawatt charging station for electric trucks at MAN in Munich. This is state-of-the-art ecological and economical e-mobility that is being developed in Bavaria. We need to put our domestic industry in a position to compete. Innovation and technology secure the future.”
