World’s first megawatt charger for electric trucks

With partners from industry and research institutions, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is to make battery-powered trucks viable for long-distance cargo transport. Megawatt charging represents an important step towards this goal. The first prototypes were presented to the public on Friday at an event on the Plattling Technology Campus with the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger in attendance.

With the new charging post and truck, it will now be possible for the first time to charge the battery sufficiently for 4.5 hours of operation within the regulatory rest period – with no additional waiting time.

In Germany around 70 percent of freight transport in terms of volume and distance takes place on the road – mainly with diesel-powered trucks. This has a considerable environmental impact. 40 percent of transport-related emissions of 148 million tons of CO2 relate to freight transport. Consequently, a switch from diesel to electric power would yield substantial benefits. The research consortium NEFTON is working on the needed technical and infrastructure solutions under the leadership of the Chair of Automotive Technology of the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Prof. Markus Lienkamp said: “The scientific facts send a clear message: Battery-powered trucks have an efficiency of around 75%. This puts them far ahead of trucks powered by fuel cells with a 26% efficiency and eFuels with a 14% efficiency. However, the necessary infrastructure for the effective use of electric trucks is still lacking along the main transport routes. The technology for megawatt charging represents an enormous step forward.”

The NEFTON project has investigated the use of electric trucks in the real-world logistics process. The consortium worked with four freight forwarding companies to analyze various areas of application – from local distribution to long-distance transport. The results show that, for distribution and regional shipping, most charging can take place at the freight forwarder’s premises. However, long-distance transport operations will require a network of high-powered truck charging stations at highway rest stops and parking areas.

The results show that charging posts capable of delivering peak power of 1 megawatt should be installed every 50 km along core highway routes. This can eliminate all time losses from charging. In a research setting, charging outputs of up to 3 megawatts have been studied. This would greatly improve flexibility in everyday use. It would also make it possible to install smaller batteries, which would reduce costs and yield ecological benefits. The NEFTON project will now investigate these future prospects.