Mercedes-Benz has made a record breaker in the technology of charging electric vehicles with the AMG GT XX concept, with a charging capacity of more than 1 megawatt. The prototype shows that it is capable of describing groundbreaking improvements that may make EV charging a process that is no longer as time-consuming as it used to be, and is closer in terms of speed to filling up a gas tank.
The highest charging rates were recorded
In testing at the IAA automobile show in Munich, the AMG GT XX concept recorded a peak charging power of 1,041 kW, which was the best ever in the history of electric vehicle charging. Mercedes declared that there was an exceptionally large charging power at hand, and the megawatt limit was reached within half a second upon the onset of charging.
The success was not just that of a short-lived spurt; the idea was to sustain 1,000 kW of charging power during a period of about two and a half minutes. In this demonstration, a maximum amount of current was passed through a special CCS charging cable, amounting to 1,176 amperes. Mercedes specifies that 17.3 kWh was sent in a minute, as specified by the company, which is equivalent to 125 kilometres of range.
Revolutionary battery technology ensures a breakthrough
The secret of these incredible charging speeds is in a new technology of battery design in the concept. The battery was developed in-house in Affalterbach, and based on Formula 1 technology, the battery consists of over 3,000 tall, slim cylindrical NCMA cells that allow it to cool effectively and have over 300 Wh/kg energy density.
The smart direct cooling system makes use of electrically non-conductive oil to keep each of the cells at the optimal temperature. This type of cooling technology provides consistent heat removal and, hence, the ability of the battery to provide high continuous power. As a mechanism that enhances the current and heat conductivity, the laser-welded aluminum cell casing adds to the strong and durable performance.
Infrastructure revolution charging
Mercedes attained this feat by working with Alpitronic and came up with a revolutionary charging infrastructure that merits the best of the two technologies. The centre of this charging infrastructure was an exclusive prototype charging station that merged the two technologies, since an MCS charging station, which has been built to support a truck, was modified to accommodate a slender CCS cable, but safely carry the sheer amount of current.
Even the charging cable is an important innovation. Initially intended to support the huge, electric truck market, the charging station was adapted to support a liquid-cooled variant of a CCS charging cable, which made the transfer of all the massive power possible without compromising safety.
Smart things that will come in the future
Mercedes made clear that these technologies are not a mere demonstration of a concept but would find their way to production cars. The AMG GT will see the direct-cooled battery technology arrive in the production version of the car, which is the AMG GT as well as the AMG.EA platform underneath it. The results of megawatt charging will directly be converted to the new high-performance fast charger development.
Mercedes will roll out these enhanced charging stations in Mercedes-Benz charging parks in Europe and North America in 2026, marking the next generation of 600-kW chargers intended to be directly part of the prototype testing. The megawatt charging success by Mercedes is a big leap towards the efforts to eliminate range anxiety and the issue of charging time, which has been a setback to the adoption of EVs. This technology has the potential to transform the electric vehicle game, given that it is expected to be used by 2026.