Megawatt Charging System
To satisfy the market demand of the Truck and Bus industry to charge electric heavy-duty vehicles within a reasonable time, a new solution for high-power charging is needed. Hence, a charging system is being developed for large battery electric vehicles which is called the Megawatt Charging System (MCS). The MCS is rated for the highest charging rate of 3.75 megawatts (3,000 amps at 1,250 volts direct current (DC).
Design Requirements
The design requirements of the MCS are as follows :
- Single conductive plug
- Maximum of 1250 V DC and 3000 A
- PLC + ISO/IEC 15118 (ISO 15118-20 Communication Protocols allows bi-directional energy flow for vehicle-to-grid (V2G), Smart Charging, Encrypted Communication, Plug ‘n Charge, Automated Charging)
- Touch Safe (UL2251)
- On-handle software-interpreted override switch
- Adherence to OSHA / ADA (or local equivalent) standards (dictates sizes using anthropometric data and masses using ergonomic data)
- FCC Class A EMI (or local equivalent)
- Located on driver’s side of the vehicle, hip height (ergonomics)
- Capable of being automated
- UL / NRTL certified
- Cyber-Secure
- V2X (bi-directional)
- a high-power electronic module,
- an MCS connector and
- an MCS inlet as a mating device located on the vehicle.
- Benefits
With charging power of up to 3MW/hr per connector, the system significantly reduces charging time and maximises uptime compared to existing Combined Charging Systems (CCS).
Features
- Three different power levels (350kW, 1MW, 3MW).
- Active connector and cable cooling system (included in 1MW and 3MW chargers).
- Vehicle inlet (included in the 3MW charger).
- Specified connector size and minimum weight depending on the power level.
- Advanced power management system that incorporates user dashboards and controls the charging process.
Global agreement
The MSC will work up to 3,000 A and 1,25 kV to deliver up to 3,75 MW power when charging. “To make things as easy as possible, MCS is based on a global agreement on technical specifications, with support of a large portion of the industry, where CharIN has been the perfect incubator delivering ready concept of MCS that now are handed over to become ISO and IEC standards,” says Johan Lindström, Technical Manager VCB Vehicle Technology, Scania.
This means among other things that the MCS inlet will be placed at the same position in the truck – left-front side behind first axle – to simplify harmonise infrastructure layouts.
”To develop a standard in the international forum is essential to have harmonised solutions to lower costs and increase interoperability without compromising on safety and uptime. It is also imperative to include the MCS standards in the legislation that will regulate the minimum requirements for the infrastructure of alternative fuels in Europe, a work where we are actively lobbying on”, says Jorge Soria Galvarro, Scania Senior Technical Adviser for Charging Infrastructure.
Ready in 2024
The MCS will not only be used for road vehicles. Other vessels at sea and in the air, have paid interest too. The MCS connector is displayed already this year, but the final version of the system will be ready in 2024. Since the number of stakeholders from both the industry and academia are eager to make this work, pilots where they try Megawatt-charging for trucks are ongoing in Europe and North America.
“Charging infrastructure is needed to be up to speed on electrification. We see that the total cost of ownership will be similar between diesel and electric trucks in just a couple of years, but we want electric to be the first choice earlier than that. MCS could be a factor that pushes this development,” Allard concludes.
History
A Charging Interface Initiative e.V. (CharIN) task force was formed by industry actors in March 2018, with the purpose to "define a new commercial vehicle high power charging standard to maximize customer flexibility. CharIN had previously developed the Combined Charging System (CCS) specification. From early 2018 until late 2019, the abbreviation HPCCV (High Power Charging for Commercial Vehicles) was used, following the name of the CharIN consortium taskforce. The purpose statement was later revised to "work out requirements for a new commercial vehicle high power charging solution to maximize customer flexibility when using fully electric commercial vehicles. The scope of the technical recommendation is to be limited to the connector, and any related requirements for the EVSE, the vehicle, communication, and related hardware.
The HPCCV held a meeting in September 2018 to build consensus on proposed requirements, and the CharIN Board of Management approved a set of consensus requirements in November 2018.Five companies submitted candidate designs to meet the requirements: Tesla, Electrify America, ABB, paXos, and Stäubli.HPCCV selected a charging plug and socket design in May 2019, which was endorsed by CharIN leadership in September 2019.The version 1.0 HPCCV connector had a triangular shape and round power pins, but the design required further development as it was not finger-proof.
A test of seven vehicle inlets and eleven connectors was held at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in September 2020. The prototype hardware represented designs from seven different manufacturers, and six additional manufacturers participated virtually. Criteria evaluated included fit/compatibility, ergonomics, and thermal performance. Evaluations at maximum current (3000 A) were conducted with cooling of both the inlet and the connector; for connector cooling only, current was limited to 1000 A, and without cooling, current was limited to 350 A.Versions 2.0 through 2.4 of the MCS connector used "hairpin" shaped contacts, but it was later changed to version 3.0 through 3.2, which returned to the triangular shape with larger pins and longer protective sheaths to prevent accidental contact.
The task force had anticipated that a requirements and specification document would be published by the end of 2021. In August 2021, prototype connectors were tested at up to 3.75 megawatts.MCS connector version 3.2 was adopted in December 2021.CharIN intends to complete the specification document by 2024, which is planned to be in a state that is ready to be adopted by ISO and IEC as a global standard. In preparation, SAE International began developing the draft MCS standards into the J3271 requirements in December 2021; in parallel, the IEC began developing standard 63379 in Spring 2021.
The final standard shall be resolved in 2024.There is an open point in testing interference immunity of the PLC connection, otherwise the communication would need to switch to a CAN connection on the same pilot pins.Additionally the protocol on the PLC connection should support TCP/IP, so that ISO 15118 services have a direct connection to the vehicle electronics (Verhicle-To-Grid, Plug-N-Charge).
Specific implementations
Lilium GmbH announced in October 2021 that forthcoming VTOL Lilium Jets with their 900 kWh battery would be fitted with MCS for charging.Charging stations with MCS connectors will be delivered by ABB in 2024.ABB charging stations have been operated at interoperability testing events.
Three truck charging stations will be built and operated in the Swedish project E-Charge. The chargers will be installed on three different locations in southern Sweden and will be utilized by four authentic logistics flows during a year's time starting in Q1 2024. The electric trucks will be provided by Scania and Volvo while the chargers will be provided by ABB.
The German national project „Hochleistungsladen im Lkw-Fernverkehr“, commonly referred to as the HoLa project (from German Hochleistungs-Ladepark, literally high capacity charging park for the charging sites),will build four new truck charging stations along the Autobahn A2 from Berlin to Duisburg. Each station will be equipped initially with two 600 kW stations starting in June 2022, and will be upgraded to 1 Megawatt using MCS in fall 2023. The chargers will be built by Heliox.
The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) published the "Masterplan Ladeinfrastruktur 2.0" in February 2022 in which they proposed to extend the Deutschlandnetz state-funded charging network into a "Deutschlandnetz für Lkw" (national fast-charging network for trucks). Whereas the current plan requires 200 kW per charging point using CCS, the next phase will require 700 kW per charging point using MCS.
In January 2023 an early Tesla Semi was spotted with version 2 of the MCS charging port.
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