MAN begins series production of MCS-ready electric trucks

MAN Truck & Bus has announced that its first series-produced electric truck equipped with the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) has rolled off the assembly line.

“With this vehicle, MAN is the first manufacturer in Europe to bring the new commercial-vehicle-specific charging technology into practical operation, creating the conditions for significantly shorter charging times in battery-electric road freight transport,” said the manufacturer.

“The first MCS-ready MAN eTrucks will be delivered step by step to customers in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the Czech Republic. By doing so, MAN is already providing its customers with the eTrucks of tomorrow while simultaneously supporting the development of a powerful ecosystem of vehicles and charging infrastructure.”

MCS enables significantly higher charging capacities than the currently established Combined Charging System (CCS), MAN explained.

“While CCS currently allows charging capacities of up to 375 kW for MAN eTrucks, MCS-equipped vehicles can achieve charging capacities of up to 750 kW, with up to 1,000 amps and up to 750 volts. As a result, charging times are considerably reduced. Charging the battery from 20 per cent to 80 per cent state of charge (SoC) in a MAN eTGX or MAN eTGS with six batteries and a total battery capacity of 534 kWh takes less than 30 minutes using MCS technology. Even with the seven-battery configuration available for chassis vehicles, providing a total capacity of 623 kWh, charging to 80 per cent SoC takes less than 40 minutes using MCS.”

This means that eTrucks can be recharged during legally required driver break periods, says MAN, and customers are said to benefit from reduced downtime, improved vehicle utilisation and greater operational flexibility. With ranges of up to 570 kilometres between charging stops in a typical long-haul tractor-semitrailer configuration, daily ranges exceeding 1,000 kilometres can be achieved within the same working time as with a diesel truck, the manufacturer adds.

“The MCS ecosystem is currently at an important stage of market introduction,” said Roman Sitte, head of sales area Europe at MAN Truck & Bus.

“Vehicles, charging infrastructure and IT backend systems are evolving dynamically and hand in hand. With the first MCS vehicles, MAN is actively helping to establish the new charging standard in Europe and further strengthen interoperability throughout the overall system.”

To ensure the smooth ramp-up of the new technology, MAN is working closely with relevant charging infrastructure manufacturers. In principle, the MAN eTGX and eTGS are designed to meet the requirements of different charging infrastructures. In addition to the front-left MCS charging position, the vehicles can optionally be equipped with additional CCS charging points at the front-right position and, for chassis vehicles, at the rear on both the left and right sides. This positioning of the charging ports facilitates use at both public and private charging stations, says MAN, and improves accessibility across various locations.

As part of its 360° eMobility consulting services, MAN Transport Solutions already takes available and planned MCS charging stations into account in order to optimally plan long-haul eTruck operations for customers. In addition, through the MAN Charge&Go offering, customers can conveniently and cost-effectively charge their batteries across Europe at MCS and CCS charging points that have been specifically tested and approved for eTruck requirements.