MAN and ABB E-mobility announced an exclusive cooperation mainly focused on megawatt charging systems (MCS) for electric trucks, although the agreement generally deals with technical cooperation between the two firms.
The cooperation is initially scheduled to run for three years and is not just limited to logistics.
ABB E-mobility has recently signed a similar agreement with another brand within the TRATON Group, Scania.
“At MCS, we are working with players from the entire sector to enable charging capacities in the megawatt range in the future and thus sustainable and economical long-distance heavy goods and passenger transport,” says Thomas Nickels, Senior Vice President Engineering at MAN.
“By cooperating with ABB E-mobility, we can tackle the challenges of the new technology at an early stage and drive standardisation forward more quickly,” he adds.
The basis for megawatt charging is Ethernet communication, which is being used for the first time in electromobility.
Early software and interoperability tests with vehicles and charging stations should help to establish reliable products as quickly as possible in an emerging market environment.
“Cooperation in the area of research and development is rather rare in our industry. Together with ABB E-mobility, we are striving for a trusting, binding and transparent partnership,” asserts Nickels.
“We are already starting with the development of products and standards and are focusing on the special requirements of the commercial vehicle industry”, he states.
“High charging performance, reliable technology and customer confidence – these are the prerequisites for the success of electromobility in heavy goods and long-distance passenger transport,” says Floris van de Klashorst, Senior Vice President Products & Hardware Platforms at ABB E-mobility.
“By working together with MAN right from the early product phase, we can respond even better to the needs of our customers. By 2025, we want to bring a product to the market that meets the requirements of logistics,” he adds.
