What is MCS (Megawatt Charging System)

The Megawatt Charging System is a new system for charging electric vehicles that, as the name suggests, supports speeds of up to 1 megawatt or even more in some cases. Destined mainly for heavy electric vehicles or with batteries that are hundreds of kilowatts in terms of capacity, such as trucks or buses, this system allows for much faster charging of these vehicles.

Such a system is extremely useful for these vehicles, as they are being used often times for hours on end at maximum capacity, so they use more of the battery juice and need much faster top-ups to deliver cargo in time or to transport people according to a schedule.

How powerful is a MCS station

MCS charging stations are, thus, much more powerful than the CCS (Combined Charging System) ones that we are currently using to charge regular electric cars and even vans, which have powers that vary from 50 kW to 400 kW generally. So, an MCS charging station has a rated power per port of at least 1.000 kW or 1 MW, but it can be even greater, as manufacturers improve on this technology. According to Scania, there are currently MCS charging stations that are rated for 3.75 MW, but they are not yet available for commercial use.

1 MW charging stations can reach a current intensity of 1.000 amps and even up to 3.000 amps, while regular CCS stations reach around 200 amps, so 5 times greater values and that's because MCS stations have integrated cables with liquid-cooled, which allow for greater temperature control.

Is it possible to charge an EV at an MCS station?

The answer is no, at least not in a plug-and-play method. That's because MCS and CCS ports are different in terms of design. CCS ports currently using in the European Union, for example (CCS2 as they are known), incorporate a Type 2 charger used for AC (alternative current) charging, as well as two extra pins on the bottom to allow for a greater transfer of electricity.

Photo source: Sonic Power

MCS ports, instead, use two DC (direct current), one protective earth pin (PE), which makes the transfer of energy safer, as well as a couple communication pins.

Photo source: EV Boosters

Thus, theoretically, once connected to an MCS station, your EV should know how much current it can safely pull without damaging the battery or any other components, similar to how our smartphones, tablets or headphones charge themselves.

One thing to consider, however, is that these stations are specially designed to serve heavy-duty vehicles, which need these very fast charging speeds as their batteries are much larger and they need to get back to work as quickly as possible. Companies that are currently testing MCS stations have installed them in strategic locations, such as ports or industrial areas, where normal EVs don't have access and this approach might be kept in the future, as well, for simplicity.

MCS charging can be used to top-up trucks, buses, coaches, electric construction equipment, as well as electric ships and larger boats.

MCS charging advantages and disadvantages

The main advantage MCS charging presents is, of course, the reduced waiting time to get back to work, thanks to the very fast charging speeds. This is due to the station's greater power, as well as to the stability at which the current is delivered.

The second advantage can be cutting back on the battery sizes themselves for trucks and buses, because if they can be charged quicker, they can run for longer distances anyways over the course of a single day. Thus, the size and weight of the vehicles can be reduced and the negative impact on the environment associated with production can be smaller, too.

Smaller batteries can also mean lower acquisition costs for the vehicles themselves, as well as optimizing the space available for towing, loading cargo or the number of people that can be transporter.

In the long run, adopting MCS stations can contribute to the accelerated adoption of electrified heavy-duty transportation, which will lower the costs associated with maintenance and operating the diesel trucks or buses and could help with lowering the road-emissions.

As far as the disadvantages go, I will mention firstly the high costs associated with purchasing an electric heavy-duty vehicle, as well as that associated with implementing these stations and purchasing the necessary battery systems that will support the charging speeds over the course of a day.

This leads to the second challenge, which is the power grid, because currently, it is not sufficiently developed to support charging multiple trucks at the same time at such high speeds. This is without taking into account the energy consumption from households or local commercial facilities. So, there is a need for investments in the energy grid, as well as in energy storage solutions, battery or other innovative alternatives, to avoid power outages.

Long-term battery health can also be a consideration for manufacturers, as these ultra-fast charging speeds will affect the durability of the cells in time, as they currently stand. New battery technologies, such as silicon-carbon cells used in new smartphones, can mitigate this effect and prolong the lifespan of batteries that are constantly exposed to extremely fast charging speeds. Additionally, developing high-performance systems for cooling the batteries will contribute significantly to developing safer and more durable cells for future heavy-duty vehicles.

So, MCS charging stations are a necessity for the mass electrification of heavy-duty electric vehicles and for the electric buses and trucks to be operated truly efficiently, but there will be a need for a strong collaboration between authorities and companies to improve the power grid with the required infrastructure and production capacity, so that these stations could function properly. Additionally, innovative battery tech will play a crucial role in prolonging the lifespan of the batteries subjected to these charging speed and in improving their overall safety.