Kempower MCS Live Winter Days brings together e-mobility ecosystem to advance heavy-duty electrification
Kempower, a global manufacturer of DC fast charging solutions for EVs, has been leading the development of megawatt charging system (MCS), the newest technology that enables charging powers over 1 MW, working alongside its partners in truck manufacturing, logistics and charge point operations. Following multiple successful MCS pilots and installations, the company recently invited its global stakeholders to witness how megawatt charging works in practice at an operational MCS truck depot in Sweden. Furthermore, the event provided an opportunity to discuss the latest developments in heavy-duty electrification.
Kempower, a global manufacturer of DC fast charging solutions for EVs, has been leading the development of megawatt charging system (MCS), the newest technology that enables charging powers over 1 MW, working alongside its partners in truck manufacturing, logistics and charge point operations. Following multiple successful MCS pilots and installations, the company recently invited its global stakeholders to witness how megawatt charging works in practice at an operational MCS truck depot in Sweden. Furthermore, the event provided an opportunity to discuss the latest developments in heavy-duty electrification.
“Our aim with this event was to demonstrate that MCS is live and here to stay. More importantly, we wanted to bring together the key actors in the industry to highlight the importance of collaboration in advancing the further deployment of MCS for heavy-duty electrification”, said Antti Vuola, VP, Products at Kempower.
Learning from the best
As the home of the globally first known real-life charging session using the official MCS charging communication protocol, while charging a Scania truck with a Kempower MCS charger in August 2025, Alfredsson Transport AB’s truck depot in Norrköping was a natural choice for the venue of the Kempower MCS Live Winter Days in January, the day after the depot’s official inauguration.
Operating with a fully fossil-free fleet since 2015, Alfredsson Transport AB has boldly developed its business into a truly imposing example of what sustainable and efficient transport of today can be with a publicly available truck charging hub.
All the participants were seemingly impressed by Erik Alfredsson’s presentation on the development path of their family business from 1937 to date, as the first MCS truck charging hub in Sweden, with a total of 12 charging points for heavy-duty vehicles up to 34 metres, offering charging power from 400 kW up to 1.2 MW. The entire charging solution is built with Kempower’s hardware and charging management software. The site’s grid connection of 2.4 MW is supplemented with another 2.4 MWh from batteries, enabling the best use of grid to ensure optimized costs per kWh. The power system also includes a 400kW solar panel system to help cutting costs and emissions.
Seamless charging sessions
Three leading truck manufacturers – MAN, Scania and Volvo – brought their MCS-ready trucks to demonstrate charging with a Kempower MCS charger which has been in use at the station since its installation in August 2025. In addition to charging analysis, each truck manufacturer presented their development paths in electronic trucking with views about the future.
Commenting on the charging session, Sven Steckhan, Program Lead Charging at MAN Truck & Bus summarized: “The MAN eTruck has proven the stability of the MCS charging process during the live demonstrations in Sweden, including controlled charging performance and secure communication between vehicle and charger. All our tests confirm the robustness of hardware and software integration and underline the maturity of MCS technology for future series production.”
Joakim Gimholt, Chief Engineer Charging and Power Distribution of TRATON SE/AB said: “It was very encouraging to see the trucks and the charger perform reliably and efficiently throughout the event, highlighting the robustness and achieved maturity of the MCS charging standard. This event clearly showcased that MCS is no longer a concept under development, but a fully functional and high-performing solution for commercial vehicle charging.”
Henrik Engdahl, Electromobility Business Development Manager of Volvo Trucks said: ”We are very happy to see the commitment Alfredsson Transport has to provide sustainable transports with continuous investments in the latest technology. Their initiative to build this charging station, as a private company, is truly impressive. By gathering several truck and heavy-duty vehicle OEMs here, Kempower has created a rare occasion for showcasing that the MCS technology is rapidly maturing. With the increased charging speed and the improved battery capacity of our Volvo FH extended range trucks I am certain that we will see many more electric transports on the road going forward.”
Advocacy and collaboration needed
In a panel discussion on the future of megawatt charging, the panelists Joakim Gimholt from TRATON SE/AB, Henrik Engdahl from Volvo Trucks, Lennart Olsson, Senior Manager Pricing & eMobility Heavy Transportation from Circle K Sverige, and Dr. Hussein Basma, Senior Researcher, Heavy-duty Vehicles, from the International Council of Clean Transport, discussed on the opportunities and challenges related to the deployment of megawatt charging.
There was a clear consensus on the need for MCS for electronic trucks and the issues hindering its deployment – grid capacity limitations being one of the main challenges when moving towards south from the Nordic countries, where MCS installations have been steadily increasing in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
As the transition to MCS is gradual, both CCS and MCS are needed to ensure optimal flexibility for charge point and logistics operators.
To accelerate emissions reduction through electrification of heavy-duty transport, policy makers should take grid availability into consideration in legislation to phase out diesel-powered vehicles. In addition, subsidies and incentives for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure are needed. The energy sector should be involved in finding solutions to ensure availability of sustainable energy and smart energy management.
Best practices sharing was considered a key in going forward, underlining the importance of the event.
2026 – the year of the MCS
As Antti Vuola put it, 2026 will be the year when megawatt charging truly takes off, bringing more commercial installations live.
“While transport sector has been an early adapter of MCS technology developing applicable trucks, other sectors, especially material handling and logistics in ports, are following the trend in search for alternatives to cut fossil emissions,” said Vuola.
The deployment of MCS is progressing also in other regions outside of Europe, for example in the US, where Kempower is set to supply MCS infrastructure for the country’s largest grid-connected MCS site at EV Realty’s truck fleet hub, currently being built in San Bernardino, California.
As the journey continues and technologies keep evolving, continuous cooperation remains a key to gaining the full potential of megawatt charging and to advancing heavy-duty electrification.
“We want to thank all the participants for their excellent contribution to the successful event. Let’s continue the good collaboration as we are moving forward in the transition to MCS,” concluded Vuola.
Press contact
Sari Hörkkö, Communications Manager, Kempower
sari.horkko@kempower.com
+358 29 0021900
Kempower in brief
We design and manufacture reliable and user-friendly DC fast-charging solutions for electric vehicles. Our vision is to create the world’s most desired EV charging solutions for everyone, everywhere. Our product development and production are based in Finland and in the U.S., with the majority of our materials and components sourced locally. We focus on all areas of e-mobility, from electric cars, trucks, and buses to machines and marine. Our modular and scalable charging system and world-class software are designed by EV drivers for EV drivers, enabling the best user experience for our customers around the world. Kempower shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. kempower.com