German Researchers Achieve Megawatt Charging for E-Trucks

The research alliance NEFTON, which also includes heavy vehicle constructor MAN, has successfully tested its innovation, fully charging a truck within 4.5 hours. That’s within the legally mandated rest period for long-haul transport, meaning that drivers would not have to do any additional waiting for their vehicles to charge.

“With NEFTON, we’ve succeeded in developing technologies to charge an e-truck in a short time with more than 1000 kilowatts,” said MAN Truck & Bus Head of R&D Frederik Zohm in a statement. “The focus of our research was practical efficiency, costs and network connection performance. Together with our partners in the project, we have clearly demonstrated that electric trucks and megawatt charging are the perfect combination for comprehensively decarbonizing road freight transport.”

The researchers envision charging stations at 50-kilometer intervals along Germany’s highways. Diesel trucks currently account for some 70 percent of freight transport in Germany. The German government plans to hold its first auctions for charging infrastructure along the country’s highways in September.