MAN Trucks & Bus and ABB E-mobility see the future of heavy-duty commercial trucking: battery-electric powertrains.
But it's not easy to get there.
Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), both commercial and passenger, still have plenty of skeptics, and that's just fine. It's not like there weren't horse and buggy-loving skeptics at the onset of the automobile.
As battery charging technology continues to improve, what's going on with charging tech? Battery electric vehicles must not only reach price parity with internal combustion engine vehicles but also recharge quickly and seamlessly.
That's why the recent successful completion of multi-day validation testing of ABB's next-generation Megawatt Charging System (MCS) technology is a pretty big deal.
[Related: Megawatt charging explained: What it is and why it matters]
Long-haul commercial trucking won't succeed without MCS. Plain and simple.
Over the course of three days, the testing evaluated critical functions including system and device communication, Transport Layer Security (TLS), performance metrics, current ripple measurements, and both standard and emergency shutdown procedures. These tests are vital to ensuring the safety, reliability, and interoperability of future charging sessions between electric trucks and charging infrastructure.
[Related: ABB E-mobility's megawatt charging system previews the future of trucking]
Prior to the campaign, MAN and ABB E-mobility tested interoperability at MAN’s factory, setting up two MCS systems and validating long-duration charging at 1.2 MW with a proof-of-concept charger.
An example of a battery-electric MAN truck charging with an ABB E-mobility Megawatt charging systemABB E-mobility/MAN
The latest results, provided by the companies, are impressive:
- Charging an almost empty 480 kWh truck battery to 90% SOC in under 40 minutes
- Support extended charging session at a steady 1000 amps (A), reaching a peak power of 740kW
- Emergency tests showed current reduced from 1000 A to 0 A in <3 milliseconds – more than 10x faster than the required 30 milliseconds
- Completed a charging session of over 3.5 hours without any interruption, proving the MCS platform stability
- PIN temperature never exceeded 55°C during long high-current session, staying below the 100° standard limit
In other words, the system charged a nearly empty 480 kWh MAN truck battery to 90% in under 40 minutes. For refence, the Volvo VNR Electric has a 565 kWh pack. It delivered a steady 1,000 amps with peak power of 740 kW, completed a 3.5-hour uninterrupted session, and safely shut down from 1,000 amps to 0 amps in under 3 milliseconds. PIN temperatures remained below 55°C, well under the 100°C limit.
Ensuring interoperability between trucks and charging stations remains a major challenge for long-haul battery-electric trucking. Even a single mismatch can disrupt operations, increase costs, and, undermine market confidence in e-mobility.
"As we move toward a larger scale deployment of electric trucks, these tests are not just about validation," said Christopher Thompson, head of product and portfolio marketing at ABB E-mobility. "They are about building trust: trust that a truck will charge efficiently, safely and without losing time. In our test, the MAN truck charged from 2% to 90% state of charge in just 36 minutes at nearly 750 kW – exactly what fleets will need on the road."
[Related: ABB E-mobility's new EV chargers address crucial industry challenges]
