Mercedes-Benz Trucks plans to begin initial customer trials of megawatt charging-compatible eActros 600 electric trucks in the second half of the year, as part of efforts to validate the emerging Megawatt Charging System (MCS) under real-world conditions.
The trials will be conducted within the company’s inbound logistics operations, particularly at its main plant in Wörth am Rhein, where an MCS-capable charging station is scheduled to be commissioned by mid-year. The initiative forms part of the company’s “Electrify Inbound Logistic” project, which aims to electrify logistics flows between facilities in Wörth, Gaggenau, Kassel and Mannheim.
The eActros 600, which entered series production in November 2024, is currently the only model in the manufacturer’s lineup designed to support optional megawatt charging. Vehicles are being produced with a placeholder for the MCS interface, which will be installed once the standard is finalised.
The MCS standard is being developed by CharIN and other industry stakeholders. While the connector interface has been standardised under IEC 63379, additional elements such as communication protocols are still under development.
Peter Ziegler said the company sees megawatt charging as critical for heavy-duty electrification. “We see megawatt charging as a key enabler for the global electrification of heavy long-haul transport and fully support the MCS standard as an open, manufacturer-independent solution,” he said. “From our perspective, MCS provides the foundation for interoperability, scalability and long-term investment security across markets and manufacturers.”
Mercedes-Benz Trucks has already conducted long-distance test drives with MCS-enabled prototypes, including a 2,400-kilometre route from Germany to Sweden. One vehicle was also tested in Arctic conditions in Finland, where temperatures dropped to –20°C.
Ziegler said these trials provided key insights into system performance. “The results confirmed that charging power in the megawatt range is also achievable at low temperatures, provided that the battery is at a sufficiently high operating temperature,” he said.
The company is also participating in the HoLa High-Performance Charging in Long-Haul Trucking initiative, which will include further real-world testing of MCS charging with the eActros 600.
Megawatt charging is expected to significantly reduce charging times for heavy-duty electric trucks. For the eActros 600, charging from 20% to 80% could take around 30 minutes using MCS, compared with approximately one hour using current CCS technology at up to 400 kW.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks said faster charging could improve operational efficiency in long-haul logistics, though the rollout of public MCS infrastructure remains limited, with most current installations used for testing purposes.