A new era is dawning for electric trucks

The Hanover event highlighted three practical priorities for electric-truck infrastructure. The first is to cut charging times through megawatt power. The second is to make stops more predictable by allowing operators to reserve charging capacity in advance. The third is to extend coverage across an increasing number of European freight corridors.

Megawatt charging aims to fit within a driver’s break

At IAA Transportation 2026, Milence joined Daimler Truck, MAN Truck & Bus and Scania for a live demonstration of the Megawatt Charging System, known as MCS. The event used Alpitronic’s HYC1000 system, which can provide up to 1,000 kW of charging power. According to Milence, MCS could recharge an electric truck to 80% — or even fully — during a driver’s 30- to 45-minute break.

The aim is to bring charging times closer to the mandatory rest breaks that long-haul drivers already have to take.

Scania says that, at 1,000 amps, the system can currently deliver 750 kW. As the technology develops, MCS charging capacity could exceed 3 MW.

Delivering megawatts where the grid is constrained

A high-powered charger alone does not guarantee access to a sufficiently strong grid connection. Milence therefore paired its demonstration installation with battery storage. The Pixii PowerBase system used at the event provides 1 MW of output and 2 MWh of storage capacity. This setup could make high-power charging possible at sites where the local electricity network is constrained.

Battery storage can also partly decouple charging output from the local grid connection. The development of truck-charging infrastructure depends not only on the capabilities of vehicles and chargers, but also on how much electricity can be delivered to a particular site.

Milence currently has nearly 40 operating charging parks across nine countries. The operator plans to increase that figure to 70 by the end of 2027, with more than half of the sites expected to support MCS.

Shell wants trucks to arrive at a reserved charger

Shell is taking a different approach by focusing on making charging more predictable. The company has started working with Amazon in Germany, giving electric trucks operating in Amazon’s transport network access to fast charging in Hanover and Kirchheim. Another location is planned for Koblenz. The sites are designed for heavy vehicles and use liquid-cooled chargers with output of up to 400 kW.

The key feature is not the power rating alone. At selected locations, Amazon partners can use Shell’s “Home-away-from-Home” model, which allows them to reserve a specific charging time in advance.

This makes it possible to include the stop in route planning, vehicle scheduling and drivers’ mandatory rest periods. Drivers access the chargers and pay through a Shell Card.

Amazon currently has more than 45 electric trucks operating in its German transport network. Shell says its German heavy-vehicle network includes around 150 charging points.

The reservation option reflects a broader shift in how charging infrastructure is assessed. For long-haul transport, it is not enough for a charger to be near the route or offer sufficient power. Operators also need to know whether it will be available at the precise time required by their schedules.

MAN Charge&Go adds 50 more locations

MAN is also expanding access to charging infrastructure. During IAA Transportation 2026, the manufacturer announced the next stage of its MAN Charge&Go rollout.

MAN’s European network of locations verified for electric-truck operations will expand by 50 sites. The expansion will include locations in Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Portugal, among other countries.

This is another step towards extending the geographic reach of e-truck charging. Broader coverage is especially important for international transport, where a handful of well-equipped stations cannot compensate for gaps elsewhere along a route.

Charging technology is advancing, but scale remains the hurdle

Figures presented at IAA also highlight the gap between what the technology can deliver and the size of the infrastructure currently available.

According to VDA, the German Association of the Automotive Industry, Europe will need around 35,000 publicly accessible MCS fast-charging points by 2030. At present, the European Union has approximately 730 charging points with a minimum output above 350 kW, reserved exclusively for heavy commercial vehicles.

IAA Transportation 2026 therefore showcased not a single breakthrough, but a set of components beginning to form a practical charging system for electric heavy transport: megawatt output, battery storage, reservable charging slots and a steadily expanding network of sites.

The technology used by electric trucks and chargers is maturing quickly. The remaining challenge is scale: suitable charging capacity must be available along the entire route and at the time required by the transport schedule.