Mercedes-Benz Trucks said it has begun a long-distance test drive to advance the implementation of the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) for its battery-electric eActros 600, as the industry moves toward ultra-fast charging solutions for long-haul transport.
The trial involves two eActros 600 trucks, each equipped with MCS ports that will be offered as an optional feature in the series-production version of the vehicle. Development engineers are driving the trucks on a roughly 2,400-kilometre route starting at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth am Rhein, Germany, and ending in Linköping, southern Sweden, passing through the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Charging is being carried out at a mix of public and private MCS-capable sites along the route.
The German manufacturer said the objective is to assess compatibility between the trucks and megawatt charging stations from different suppliers, while also evaluating real-world usability, including winter conditions. Areas under scrutiny include the charging curve, average charging power and the overall performance and reliability of the emerging MCS infrastructure.
“The key challenges in megawatt charging lie in harmonizing the vehicle with various charging systems,” said Peter Ziegler, head of e-charging components at Mercedes-Benz Trucks. “At the same time, the extreme charging currents in MCS charging place high demands on thermal management. The current test run provides an important opportunity to evaluate these aspects under real-world operating conditions.”
MCS technology is designed to deliver charging power of up to 1,000 kilowatts, significantly reducing downtime for electric trucks compared with today’s Combined Charging System (CCS). Mercedes-Benz Trucks said that, for the eActros 600, charging from 20% to 80% could take around 30 minutes using MCS, compared with about an hour at a CCS charger offering up to 400 kW.
The company said faster charging could allow customers to run more efficient and flexible long-haul logistics operations, provided sufficient infrastructure is deployed. At present, public MCS charging sites in Europe remain limited, reflecting both the early stage of truck availability and the fact that the MCS standard is still completing international standardisation under the leadership of CharIN, in cooperation with global truck manufacturers.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks previously demonstrated one-megawatt charging in 2024 using an eActros 600 prototype at its development and testing centre in Wörth am Rhein, marking an early milestone in the rollout of megawatt-scale charging for heavy-duty electric vehicles.