For the MCS product, Kempower uses two existing 600 kW power supply units for a total output of 1.2 megawatts and one of the well-known satellite chargers – i.e. the compact charging pole that is set up at the pitch. Most of the technology sits in the power supply units, which can be placed a few metres away to keep the space requirement at the parking space itself small.
Typically, two 600 kW units can supply several HPC satellites for electric cars. In the case of the MCS unit, however, the 2×600 kW are bundled and used for one satellite. This has a liquid-cooled MCS charging plug and can thus deliver a total power of 1.2 megawatts to the vehicle to be charged.
While the technical development is not unfeasible, it is surprising, however, that Kempower wants to start delivering its new megawatt charging system in Europe as early as the first quarter of 2024. The underlying megawatt charging standard has not yet been finally developed. Around the premiere of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600, Daimler Truck was still talking about this probably happening by mid-2025. It is unclear exactly how Kempower intends to deliver the first MCS products in Q1 2024. By the time this article was published, Kempower had not responded to an enquiry from the editorial team – we will submit the answer here.
“Electric trucks are typically charged with a DC fast charger either overnight, at a warehouse destination, or on the move along highways. Larger EVs need larger power sources. Our megawatt charging solution serves all those use cases: overnight, destination and on-the-move charging,” said Jussi Vanhanen, Kempower’s Chief Market Officer. “With these new MCS’, the technology the world has been waiting for to help launch sustainable transportation into the future is here today.”