MCS NREL Testing

Megawatt Charging System

CharIN | DTNA eMobility Group

Date

2020

Deliverables

Product Design
Prototyping

About the Project

In early 2020 I had the opportunity to contribute to the Task Force Megawatt Charging System (MCS) through my role at Daimler Trucks North America eMobility Group (EMG).

In 2018, CharIN initiated the Task Force "Megawatt Charging System (MCS)" to invent a holistic system approach based on the Combined Charging System CCS. The CharIN MCS Task Force represents the whole value chain of the Heavy Duty Vehicles indusry segment which ensures that all perspectives are considered. To satisfy the market demand of the Truck and Bus industry to charge electric heavy-duty vehicles within a reasonable time, a new solution for high-power charging is needed.

My role on the project was to monitor the task force developments, understand the MCS technical requirements and take into account proposed (and constantly changing) volumetric contraints and plug geometry to design a manufacturable test prototype for an event that took place at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) from September 23-24, 2020. The design development was condensed and faced obstacles due to the beginning of the COVID pandemic, so I quickly developed 1:1 hand models to validate my proposed ergonomic solutions and protect the space claim for the internal packaging for thermal regulation. I delivered the physical prototypes and an accurate Alias sketch model and the prototype was built by an external engineering partner after the conclusion of my contract.

Fully understanding the use case, widely varying human factors to serve a global population, applications in trucking, marine & aviation, operation in a full range of weather conditions, durability learnings from previous solutions, and factors unique to this development like massively increased cable weight and torque led to a solution that could be evaluated for fit, ergonomics, connection and disconnection, and thermal performance at the event.

Photos by Dennis Schroeder, NREL via public access at images.nrel.gov

CharIN MCS WebsiteMCS Wiki

MCS Ideation 1
MCS Ideation 2
MCS Ideation 3
MCS Ideation 4
MCS NREL Testing
MCS NREL Testing
MCS NREL Testing
MCS NREL Testing
MCS NREL Testing
MCS NREL Testing
MCS NREL Testing
MCS Testing