The Megawatt Charging Customary (MCS) formalized simply final summer time will pave the way in which for extra electrical large rigs on the expense of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, an electric-truck guide predicts.
Enthusiasm for hydrogen fuel-cell passenger automobiles has largely performed out, and megawatt charging will do the identical for fuel-cell vehicles, Rustam Kocher, former Charging Infrastructure Lead at Daimler Vehicles North America, and now a guide, mentioned in a latest interview with Charged EVs.
Kocher is just not optimistic about hydrogen, saying it is main objective is to be “a means that the oil and gasoline trade can keep related.” Hydrogen may make the most of fossil-fuel trade knowhow as a result of it may be pumped by means of pipelines and saved in tanks like oil and pure gasoline, Kocher famous, however mentioned hydrogen gasoline cells are much less environment friendly than batteries and “extraordinarily costly.”
Electrical Island – Daimler Vehicles North America and PGE – Portland OR
“Large Oil’s bought lots of assets and cash to push this narrative” concerning the promise of hydrogen, Kocher mentioned. However he believes megawatt charging will “put a bullet in hydrogen” by matching its fast refueling time, which he views as hydrogen’s solely potential benefit.
“With MCS, it is the identical pace,” he mentioned. “In reality, it is perhaps quicker, so hydrogen can go pound salt.”
When introduced final summer time, MCS was mentioned to supply a “affordable” cost time for Class 6, 7, and eight industrial autos. These autos are anticipated to make use of very giant battery packs, requiring way more energy for fast charging than the 350 kw that is at present the higher finish for the Mixed Charging Customary (CCS) utilized by passenger automobiles.
Electrical Island – Daimler Vehicles North America and PGE – Portland OR
MCS goals to ship quick charging a package deal that, very similar to CCS, permits for charging stations to be suitable with autos from completely different producers. Even Tesla, which went its personal means with passenger-car quick charging, has confirmed megawatt charging tech for each the Cybertruck and Semi, however it hasn’t signed on for the usage of the cumbersome MCS connector.
Megawatt charging stations for vehicles current harder challenges for siting than these designed for passenger automobiles, nonetheless, as a result of they not solely have to make room for greater vehicles however be at a degree within the grid that may assist an influence degree of 10 MW or extra.
WattEV electrical truck cease rendering
One of many first such stations is Portland’s Electrical Island website, developed by Daimler Vehicles North America (Kocher’s former employer) and utility Pacific Gasoline & Electrical. One other template would be the electrical truck cease deliberate by startup WattEV in Bakersfield, California, aiming for 40 charging stalls and 25 MW of solar-supplemented charging.
Maybe extra complicated although is that firms which have championed MCS—like Daimler Vehicles—are additionally investing in hydrogen fueling. So it is honest to say the conflict between these applied sciences is not wherever close to over but.
