Is Megawatt Charging System (MCS) the future of Heavy-Duty EV Charging?

Megawatt Charging System (MCS) is an ultra-high-power charging standard designed for heavy-duty electric vehicles like trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles. The MCS standard is being developed by CharIN (Charging Interface Initiative), the same organisation behind the CCS protocol. MCS systems are now being deployed in Europe.

Italy-based Alpitronic is a major manufacturer of high-power electric vehicle charging systems. The company has developed a distributed, flexible Megawatt Charging System, HYC1000.

We approached Clemens Pizzinni at Alpitronic to understand more about the Megawatt Charging System.

Why does the industry need to develop this new MCS standard beyond existing DC fast charging solutions?

MCS is a new charging standard for heavy vehicles, such as buses and trucks. The development was necessary to keep up with increasing battery sizes in these segments. In certain use cases (onroute charging for long-haul trucks), the vehicles need a substantial recharge during the regulatory 45- minute driver’s break.

What power levels is MCS expected to support? What would be the voltage and current specifications for MCS?

MCS would support power levels up to 3.75 MW; Voltage: up to 1,250 V DC, and Current: up to 3,000 A.

Liquid-cooled connector and cable are mandatory for this high-power charging system.

Can vehicles with CCS or other legacy connectors use the MCS charging infrastructure? Do you reckon we would have adapters to bridge these standards?

Current vehicles have MCS only as an additional connector. I don’t expect to see MCS-only vehicles soon, as compatibility with existing CCS2 infra is key. The onset of MCS means a lot of upcoming HDVs in EU/US can be expected to come with 1 MCS and 1 CCS2 port.

Adapters are a long-discussed topic for NACS/CSS2, but technical liability is an issue. At such high power ratings, I don’t think that such adapters are a thing – at least not in EU/US.

Will MCS be the breakthrough that enables large-scale electrification of heavy-duty transportation?

Currently, we don’t see MCS as THE breakthrough, as electrification of HDVs is already on the way in EU markets with CCS2. But, for the second and third generations of these electric trucks, it might support adoption.

When should we expect to see the first operational MCS charging stations?

As Alpitronic, we have started deploying MCS stations across Europe. Politics aim for EUspanning long-haul truck corridors to support the shift towards electric trucks. Also, US customers are preparing for the first truck-only highway charging sites with MCS.

Personally, I expect Europe to lead the way as their truck OEMs have already launched suitable vehicles. Additionally, in particular, Germany has a dense network of highways and a lot of European truck freight goes through it. In Germany, we also see some energy storage projects popping up with MCS stations due to limited or delayed grid capacity.

Editor’s note

China used a high-power charging standard, ChaoJi, jointly developed by the CHAdeMO Association and the China Electricity Council. It supports charging powers up to 1.2 MW (1,500 volts at 800 amperes). ChaoJi uses a distinctive infinity-shaped (∞) connector.

Ultra-ChaoJi, the next evolution under development, targets 1.5-3 MW with currents up to 1,700-2,400 Amp for heavy-duty trucks, buses, aircraft, and ships.

This interview was first published in EVreporter Jan 2026 magazine.

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