Is faster charging always better for heavy-duty vehicles?

Effective charging solutions are the ultimate enabler for the large-scale adoption of electric transportation, and the development of high-power solutions is a key aspect in this process with megawatt charging being the most talked about, particularly when it comes to long-haul road freight.

With a charge rate of over 1 MW, megawatt charging would allow for vehicles in the EU to top up the battery in mandatory rest breaks enough to continue the trip under the daily driving time limit without any extra changing time.

Technology is evolving fast and the industry seems ready to embrace the new Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standard. A number of charging equipment manufacturers have demonstrated MCS prototypes and tested charging sessions of 1 MW. And the next generation of electric heavy-duty vehicles from leading OEMs will have the option to charge with the MCS standard.

Combined Charging System (CCS) technology has come a long way as well. With charging up to 400 kW, current products address today the capabilities of the next truck generation.

Together, CCS and MCS give shippers and carriers powerful options for freight electrification. But should they always charge as fast as possible?

There are a few things to consider in assessing what is the best solution for future-proof operations. First, depot and destination facilities often have limited available grid capacity – and digital intelligence can resolve bottlenecks. In addition, faster charging accelerates battery degradation, which shortens the vehicle’s lifetime as the battery accounts for most of the vehicle’s cost; also, charging equipment usually gets more expensive the more power it provides. The general guidance is to charge as slowly as possible to protect grids and assets.

Shippers and carriers often do not know when, where, and how much to charge when planning their freight scenarios. Einride operates one of the largest heavy-duty electric fleets in Europe and North America. Here, we’ll share three exemplary freight scenarios and our unique insight to demonstrate that faster charging is not always better.

“More charging power increases the operational viability of electric transport, but you should know exactly when, where and how much you really need.”

Three scenarios: charging at 250 kW, 400 kW and 1 MW

We used three exemplary scenarios to demonstrate the impact of different charging powers:

• Scenario 1 “Short & light”: 100 km one way, 200 km round trip, 10t payload (one way).
• Scenario 2 “Long & light”: 300 km one way, 600 km round trip, 10t payload (one way).
• Scenario 3 “Long & heavy”: 300 km one way, 600 km round trip, 20t payload (both ways).

As a baseline for all scenario calculations we used the Daimler eActros 600, coming to market early 2025. Actual route data was used to model energy consumption. We assumed a two-shift duty cycle and a roundtrip, without tractor swapping and without charging during loading and unloading. The day starts and ends at the depot, where overnight charging takes place.

Scenario 1

• 250 kW enables 200 km round trips, with no charging beyond driver breaks, and charging only at the depot. For two-shift operations, 4 shipments are possible in 4 round trips.
• 400 kW shortens the charging time between shifts from 90 to 45 minutes, but without any time gained during the day.
• MW charging allows for a 15-minute charging time between shifts. In most cases, this performance is not needed unless there is a clear use case that rewards fast turnaround time.

Scenario 2

• 400 kW enables 600 km round trips, with no charging beyond driver breaks, and charging at the depot and destination. For two-shift operations, 2 shipments are possible in 2 round trips.
• In this example, 400 kW marks an improvement over 250 kW, which requires 75 minutes of charging outside of driver break time.
• Scenario 2 highlights the criticality of knowing the vehicle's consumption patterns and charging time for route planning. During the driver break, the vehicle is charged to only 75% State of Charge (SoC) to stay within 45 minutes. This is sufficient due to the lower consumption on the back flow, and the vehicle arrives at the depot with 15% SoC remaining.
• Similar to scenario 1, MW charging only reduces the charging time between shifts, without any additional gain in the number of shipments or round trips.

Scenario 3

• 1 MW enables 600 km round trips with heavy payload both ways, with no charging beyond driver breaks, and charging at or close to the depot and destination.
• For two-shift operations, 4 shipments are possible in 2 round trips.
• 2 shifts are not possible with 250 kW due to long charging times.
• 400 kW is sufficient, but requires additional charging time, which increases cost and reduces the number of shipments from 4 to 3.

“Faster charging alone is not the silver bullet to electric road freight. Optimizing vehicle, charging, driver schedule and routes are the true key for effective fleet electrification.”

What does this mean for shippers?

For efficient operations, shippers and carriers have three charging windows to consider: overnight, between driver breaks and between shifts.

Overnight charging requires the least power, with 50-80 kW depending on the available time.

Charging between driver breaks and between shifts usually needs more power (“top-up charging” or “opportunity charging”), as shown in the scenarios above.

250 kW and 400 kW can be realized with the CCS standard and today’s technology. The key challenge from an equipment perspective is to find an effective hardware configuration that provides sufficient connectors for overnight charging as well as high power for top-up charging during the day.

As MW charging becomes available, the best charging solution for scenario 3 would be a charging station close to the depot and destination with megawatt charging capability. Overnight charging can still happen at the depot.

“Today’s CCS technology meets most of the shipper's needs. But knowing exactly how fast to charge, when and where can make all the difference for electric shipments to be effective or not.”

How can Einride help?

With Einride, shipper companies rest assured that operations run smoothly with precisely enough power to ensure shipments are delivered at the right time and place. Our offering includes access to electric and autonomous vehicles, smart charging infrastructure and the digital freight platform that connects the entire ecosystem.

First, a transformation assessment uses customer shipment data to determine the optimal routing and charging strategy, similar to the scenarios shown above. Fleets are powered through charging installations at the customer’s property, Einride Smartcharger Stations or third-party charging partnerships.

Einride is uniquely positioned to provide customized charging solutions based on current and future shipment needs. Carlsberg, Mars and Heineken are some of the companies utilizing Einride’s complete solution.

Our Smartcharger Stations are already operational in Sweden and the United States with an expansion plan that includes future megawatt charging options.

Are you interested in making the switch? Reach out to us for an assessment and understand which lanes can be electrified right now and which charging solution supports the effective transition to intelligent freight.

Thorsten Bunz

Charging Hardware Lead at Einride