LEINFELDEN-ECHTERDINGEN (dpa-AFX) - Commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck says it has made major progress in the rapid charging of electric trucks. Developers from the Mercedes-Benz truck segment have succeeded for the first time in charging a prototype of the battery-electric eActros 600 long-haul truck at a charging station with a capacity of one megawatt (1000 kilowatts), the Dax Group from Leinfelden-Echterdingen near Stuttgart announced on Monday. The test took place at the company's own development and test center in Worth am Rhein near Karlsruhe.

This is an enormous development step, said Peter Ziegler, Head of E-Charging Components at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, according to the press release. The company is now working on getting the technology for the MCS (Megawatt Charging System) charging standard in the eActros 600 ready for series production. The start of series production of the vehicle is planned for the end of this year. Customers should then be able to retrofit the MCS technology at a later date.

Other companies are also pressing ahead with MCS development. Competitor MAN already demonstrated a charging process with more than 700 kilowatts in Munich in March together with the charging infrastructure provider ABB E-mobility.

However, MCS is still in its infancy. Charging power plays an important role in the electrification of heavy long-distance transport. This is because time is a decisive factor in the logistics sector. The power with which the batteries are charged is specified in watts. Put simply, the higher the power, the faster the charging process. To date, the CCS (Combined Charging System) fast-charging system has typically enabled charging capacities of up to 350 kilowatt hours. By comparison, normal charging stations for electric cars often provide 22 kilowatt hours.

According to Daimler Truck, the batteries of the eActros 600 could be charged from 20 to 80 percent in around 30 minutes with one megawatt - i.e. 1000 kilowatts. This is particularly important for charging on the road, for example when stopping at a rest stop, when the driver has to take a break anyway. However, this would also require the appropriate infrastructure. In a haulier's depot, on the other hand, an e-truck can also be charged at a lower power level, for example overnight./rwi/DP/zb