A22, the first 1,000 kW charging point for heavy goods vehicles

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor)- One of the cornerstones of Autostrada del Brennero’s strategy has always been sustainability; an issue that is reflected in various projects and initiatives implemented over time by the motorway operator. It is precisely within this framework that the first 1MW charging point for heavy goods vehicles, built by Alpitronic, is located at the Firmian car park in Bolzano Sud. Inaugurated around a year ago, it is a first of its kind in Italy and one of the first in Europe. According to the latest available data, in the first seven months of operation, the pilot site recorded over 800 charging sessions.

The charging station is the first on the A22 motorway designed specifically for electric heavy goods vehicles. The Power Unit, comprising eight modules with a maximum combined power output of 1 MW, is the beating heart of the charging station, powering the two dispensers installed there. The advantages of ultra-fast charging for heavy goods vehicles are clear: the maximum battery capacity of an electric lorry can vary depending on the model and manufacturer, ranging from 300 kWh to 600 kWh. Obviously, the larger the batteries, the greater the range in kilometres. However, high-capacity batteries – unless you want to spend hours at the charging station – also require charging points with sufficient power output. The new MCS (Megawatt Charging System) combines these two operational requirements and has been designed by Alpitronic specifically to meet the time constraints of heavy goods traffic. In practical terms, this means that to charge a lorry with a 500 kWh battery at a charging power of up to 1,000 kW, it will take half an hour, providing a potential range of 500 km, although the load carried, gradients and other external factors may affect these figures. Under the same conditions of wear and tear and external temperature, these times are even halved compared to today. The new MCS is therefore capable of drastically reducing downtime whilst increasing the vehicle’s operational efficiency.

The presence of a power unit with an output of 1,000 kW will enable high-power charging of three vehicles simultaneously, amongst which the available 1,000 kW will be distributed. This is thanks to the collaboration between Alpitronic, which has developed the charging system capable of supporting the Megawatt Charging System, and Autostrada del Brennero, which has provided the infrastructure for the entire site, designing and installing the medium-voltage switchgear and the low-voltage distribution boards, the site’s entire electrical distribution network and the charging bays. And that’s not all: the transformer installed by Autostrada del Brennero has a capacity of 2,000 kVA, meaning the facility is already set up to accommodate, in the future, a second 1 MW charging system, effectively doubling the station’s capacity.