Fast charging: Megawatts soon for heavy electric trucks
FUTURE Designwerk Technologies AG, based in Winterthur, is building a new type of particularly powerful charging station. It is designed to enable fast charging of electric trucks in around 45 minutes.
One of the world's first megawatt charging stations is currently being built at Designwerk Technologies AG. In spring 2023, the station in container format is to charge electric trucks for the first time. It is expected to be up to six times faster than conventional high-power stations with 350 kW output. Integrated battery buffers will avoid peak loads.
The aim of the partnership-based demonstration project of Designwerk Technologies AG is also to ensure that the charging stations behave in a grid-serving manner. The scientific monitoring of the technical developments is supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy as well as renowned industrial partners. In addition, the Bern University of Applied Sciences and the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland are involved in the project.
Infrastructure for heavy commercial vehicles
Heavy-duty transport is of central importance for the energy transition and the achievement of climate targets. Around 6.6 million trucks are in use on Europe's roads. They transport around 77 percent of all freight on land. Consequently, the share of low-emission means of transport must be increased.
Vivien Dettwiler, member of the management board of Designwerk: "Especially for long-distance trucks or also for ships and airplanes, a new type of charging infrastructure is needed. It differs from the infrastructure for electric passenger cars and makes it possible to charge heavy commercial vehicles in a short time."
Deliver produced electricity to the grid
Vivien Dettwiler: "In our charging containers, we install second-life electric truck batteries as a buffer to prevent peak loads. This not only eliminates the need for grid expansion. The storage system should even be able to feed renewably produced electricity back into the grid. Similar to bidirectional charging, electromobility can thus be used as part of supply solutions."
Demonstration plants at Galliker Transport AG, Käppeli Logistik and Murg Flums Energie are to prove that this works. The demonstration plants are now to show ways in which a high-performance charging network and security of supply can go hand in hand.
