The Megawatt Charging System, which was introduced at the 35th Electric Vehicle Symposium in June 2022, is expected to be on the market come 2024, according to Scania.

Charging Interface Initiative, CharIN, a global association that wants to achieve a standardised charging infrastructure, has been working on a more powerful system for several years.

The MCS was introduced when a Alpitronic-charger was connected to a Scania-truck, with the new standardised connector for MCS and simulating charging at 1.2MW. This technology will enable electric trucks going forward without disrupting the logistic flows on the European and North American transport network.

“The MCS is a milestone for especially long haulage trucks, where driving and rest times needs to be kept – drive for 4.5 hours and rest for 45 minutes. That will need both quick charging and high capacity due to battery size,” said Fredrik Allard, head of E-mobility, Scania.

The MSC will work up to 3000A and 1,25kV to deliver up to 3,75MW power when charging. MCS is based on a global agreement on technical specifications, with support of a large portion of the industry. CharIN has delivered ready concept of MCS that now are handed over to become ISO and IEC standards.

This means among other things that the MCS inlet will be placed at the same position in the truck – left-front side behind first axle – to simplify harmonise infrastructure layouts.

“Charging infrastructure is needed to be up to speed on electrification. We see that the total cost of ownership will be similar between diesel and electric trucks in just a couple of years, but we want electric to be the first choice earlier than that,” said Allard.

“MCS could be a factor that pushes this development.”