Key Takeaways
1. Huawei is set to introduce a 1.5 MW electric vehicle charger, surpassing competitors BYD’s 1 MW and Zeekr’s 1.2 MW chargers, aimed at heavy-duty trucks and commercial vehicles.
2. The new charger features a liquid-cooled system enabling 2,400 A current flow, allowing a battery to charge from empty to full in just 15 minutes.
3. Huawei’s 1.5 MW charger offers 1.44 MW output, branded as a Super Charge system, with plans to support over 30 trucks using 15-minute charging technology by 2025.
4. A robotic arm will be included with the chargers to automate the connection process, allowing drivers to remain in their vehicles during charging.
5. Huawei emphasizes the need for charging times under 30 minutes for full electrification of heavy-duty trucks, aligning with industry standards and competing initiatives.
Huawei’s CEO of the Digital Power division has hinted at a new 1.5 MW electric vehicle charger, surpassing BYD’s 1 MW chargers and Zeekr’s recently unveiled 1.2 MW stations.
Differentiation in Purpose
While BYD’s system is designed for passenger vehicles and tailored with appropriate batteries and powertrains, Huawei’s 1.5 MW charger is intended for larger trucks, such as the Tesla Semi, as well as various heavy-duty commercial machines. Tesla’s V4 Supercharger stations can output 500 kW for regular passenger cars, but they can also reach up to 1.2 MW charging speeds for the Semi.
Advanced Technology
Huawei enhances this capability with a liquid-cooled system that allows a massive 2,400 A current to flow through, enabling a battery to charge from empty to full in just 15 minutes. The new Huawei megacharger is set to be introduced on April 22 and will restore 20 kWh of battery capacity every minute while charging.
In addition, Huawei has showcased a robotic arm that can be fitted to its EV chargers, allowing it to plug the connector into the vehicle’s charging port without the driver needing to exit the car.
Clarifying Specifications
The charger provides an output of 1.44 MW, but Huawei rounds this number up, branding it as a Super Charge system, clearly indicating the network it aims to serve. At the China Electric Vehicle 100 conference, where the new megawatt charger was previewed, Huawei explained its reasoning for investing in such a network. The company anticipates that over 30 trucks equipped with 4C (15-minute) speed technology will be launched in 2025, positioning Huawei at the leading edge of commercial electric vehicle charging advancements.
During the announcement of the 1.5 MW system on April 22, Huawei will also share a timeline for the mass production of these stations and reveal the heavy-duty truck and construction equipment brands it has teamed up with for the network.
Industry Insights
“For heavy-duty trucks to achieve full electrification, charging times must be below 30 minutes,” stated Huawei’s Hou Jinlong at the forum. Other competing initiatives in the commercial electric vehicle charging space are also targeting this 30-minute time frame, which includes the 1.2 MW Tesla V4 Superchargers and the 3.75 MW MCS standard stations, alongside a specialized 6 MW system designed to power the 1.9 MWh battery of the 240-ton Liebherr T 264 haul trucks operating in Fortescue’s Pilbara ore mines.
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