Mercedes-Benz Trucks tests megawatt charging on long-distance routes
Mercedes-Benz Trucks announced a new phase of testing the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) technology for electric long-haul trucks. Two eActros 600 embarked on a test run covering approximately 2,400 km from Germany to Sweden to test megawatt charging in real-world conditions.
What is known
The route starts at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Germany and passes through the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark to Linköping in southern Sweden. During the trip, the trucks will be charged at both public and private MCS stations designed for commercial vehicles. The company is testing the compatibility of vehicles with charging stations from different operators, as well as the stability of the infrastructure under various conditions, including low temperatures.
According to Peter Ziegler, head of charging components at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, the main challenges of megawatt charging are coordinating vehicle parameters with different charging systems and managing thermal loads at extremely high currents. The tests allow evaluating charging curves, average power, and system resilience in everyday operation.
MCS standard charger connector. Photo: Daimler Truck
MCS is rated for up to 1,000 kW power, which should significantly reduce charging time for heavy electric trucks. According to the manufacturer, charging the eActros 600 from 20 to 80% takes about 30 minutes — despite having three battery packs of 207 kWh each. This is significantly faster than using CCS, which is primarily focused on passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. At the same time, the MCS infrastructure is still in the early stages of development.
The total battery capacity of the eActros 600 is 621 kWh. The use of LFP cells is expected to provide a range of about 500 km without recharging at a total weight of 40 tons. Mercedes-Benz Trucks notes that depending on the route and driving style, this figure may be higher. With charging infrastructure available, the truck is technically capable of traveling over 1,000 km per day, as mandatory driver breaks allow for intermediate charging.
The maximum permissible gross weight of the rig is 44 tons. With a standard semi-trailer, the payload of the eActros 600 in the EU reaches approximately 22 tons — about three tons less than a comparable diesel tractor.
Source: Daimler Truck
