Charging has always been the Achilles Heel of electric vehicles as it is a time-consuming process compared to gas-powered cars, especially for heavy-duty vehicles. However, CharIN has revealed a new charging connector for fast charging heavy-duty vehicles, known as the Megawatt Charging System (MCS).
The new charger, officially launched at the EVS35 in Oslo, Norway, has a triangular shape and spent four years in development. It was conceived under CharIN’s Task Force for Heavy Duty Charging for Heavy Duty Charging for Commercial Vehicles.
https://twitter.com/robertvg/status/1535960763302612992
The company demonstrated a working prototype of the new MCS using an Alpitronic charger on a Scania electric truck. It supplied more than 1 MW of power to the truck.
The MCS is capable of a maximum current of 3,000 A at up to 1,250V. That means it can handle up to 3,750 kW, a significant upgrade from the 350 to 500 kW offered by the CCS Combo connector that CharIN used as a base for the development.
According to CharIN, MCS complies with worldwide standards for charging. This gives the new charging connector a chance at global adoption, as it is suited for charging trucks, public buses, etc. It may also be used in other sectors like aviation when electric aircraft takes off.
The big question is whether Tesla will adopt this standard for their Semi, or go with a proprietary connector like they did with their passenger vehicles. We have seen two Megacharger stations installed at Giga Nevada and a FritoLay facility in California, but we have yet to see a close up of the connector. However Tesla has been a member of CharIN since 2016, so it would not be surprising to see this connector make its way to the Semi.
The final publication of the final MCS standard is expected in 2024. It is already being tested in Germany.
First Public #Megawatt Charging Simulation! ⚡️⚡️⚡️#alpitronic#CharIN#scania @CharIN_eV pic.twitter.com/avOAUBd4qp
— Felix Hamer • electricfelix (@electricfelix) June 13, 2022
Source: Inside EVs
