ABB E-mobility and Scania successfully test Megawatt

Charging System

Scania has successfully installed and tested a pilot Megawatt Charging System from ABB E-mobility. Deploying this high-power charging solution could enable operators to halve the charging time for heavy-duty vehicles, says Scania.

Scania calls the testing, which was done to prove the technical viability of high-current charging, a rst important step towards a future system, which will result in the progressive deployment of high-power MCS chargers, starting with current levels of 1,500 amps and eventually delivering the full MCS scope of up to 3,000 amps.

Scania and ABB E-mobility have both been instrumental in developing MCS in collaboration with CharIN (the MCS standard is expected to be nalized in 2024).

Scania calls MCS technology “critical” for long-haul electric trucks, as both driving time and resting time for drivers are regulated by law. In some jurisdictions, a commercial vehicle can be driven for a maximum of 4.5 hours before the driver needs to take a 45-minute break. During this time, the truck needs to add enough energy to the battery to operate for another 4.5 hours. Due to the size of the batteries, fast, high-power charging is essential.

“We see momentum for electric transport, and our goal is that 50 percent of all vehicles we sell annually by 2030 are electric,” says Fredrik Allard, Head of E-mobility at Scania. “To achieve this goal will require infrastructure, and MCS is a crucial piece of the puzzle.”

Scania is now o ering trucks with the MCS pre-standard connector to customers with speci c needs, and production is set to begin in 2024. ABB E-mobility will introduce the next iteration of its MCS technology in late 2024 or early 2025.

Legrand launches Level 2 EV charger for commercial use

France-based electrical equipment maker Legrand has expanded into the EV charging market with the launch of the Legrand Networked Level 2 Commercial Electrical Vehicle Charger, designed for such commercial applications as o ces, parking garages, multi-unit residential buildings and vehicle eets.

e 48 A (11.5 kW) Level 2 networked charger comes factory-con gured with customizable charging-management subscription so ware from American EV charging company AmpUp, providing real-time monitoring and remote diagnostics.

e integrated Legrand-AmpUp product is now available to US customers.

“Our partnership with AmpUp was an easy choice— we are excited to bring a di erentiated and comprehensive charging solution,” said Legrand President Ravi Ramanathan.

Schneider opens large electric truck charging depot in Southern California

Multimodal transportation provider Schneider National has completed an electric charging depot at its South El Monte Intermodal Operations Center in Southern California. e depot will power the company’s battery-electric truck eet, which will include nearly 100 Freightliner eCascadias by year’s end.

e 4,900-square-foot charging site, which was designed and built in cooperation with Black & Veatch, features 16 350 kW dual-plug chargers, allowing the carrier to charge 32 trucks simultaneously. Schneider says its eCascadias will be able to charge up to 80% within 90 minutes.

Schneider’s facility is centrally located within the metro Los Angeles area, adjacent to major highways—numerous customers have facilities within a 50-mile radius. Schneider is already using its new eCascadia electric trucks, each of which has a range of approximately 220 miles, to make deliveries for Frito-Lay and Goodyear.

“Schneider decided to lead the way by building our own depot in South El Monte,” said Schneider CEO Mark Rourke. “It was important to develop onsite charging because it is the most e cient solution to power our growing electric eet. With the infrastructure de ciency, we found that we needed to collaborate with a wide array of experts to see our vision come to fruition.”

JETSI, an electric truck project jointly funded by the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission, awarded the project $27 million. Additional funding was provided by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Port of Los Angeles and Southern California Edison. Building the depot “would not have been possible without our funding and grant agencies,” said Rourke.

Schneider worked alongside Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) as the eCascadia evolved, piloting a truck for six months in 2019-2020 through Freightliner’s Customer Experience eet. Feedback from Schneider drivers and the equipment team led to the production of today’s eCascadia.