Galliker Transport AG puts “Mega Charger” from Designwerk into operation

03.07.2024 – As part of the “Innovation Day by Galliker”, Designwerk Technologies AG put its first mega charging station into operation. The battery-buffered fast-charging system, which is the size of a standard container, is used to charge heavy electric trucks. It is also intended to help relieve the power grid of peak loads during charging processes.

Together with pilot customer Galliker Transport AG, Swiss e-mobility specialist Designwerk Technologies AG is transporting the future into the present. The so-called “Stationary Battery Backed Mega Charger“ (SBC) from Designwerk was officially put into operation after a development phase of around two years. Guests from Switzerland and Germany were given an exclusive insight into the world of mega charging for heavy commercial vehicles at the official handover in the presence of Damian Müller, member of the Council of States, Martin Bütikofer, Director of the Swiss Museum of Transport, and Andreas Burgener, former Director of Auto Schweiz. The charging station had already won “The Smarter E-Award” in the e-mobility category.

Use of solar power from the site grid

The combination of storage and charging solution at Galliker contains four battery packs with a total capacity of 1000 kWh. The maximum version accommodates storage units with a total capacity of up to 2000 kWh. The charging station is charged during the day with self-generated solar power.

“By using the battery-buffered charging station, we can use the solar power produced during the day to efficiently charge our electric commercial vehicles around the clock. The Mega Charger can also contribute to the stability of our area network by smoothing out peak loads,” explains Felix Felder, Head of Fleet Management at Galliker Transport AG.

Upwards compatible and powerful

The Galliker charging station initially has two CCS charging points, each with an output of 420 kilowatts DC. The Designwerk SBC charging container, which was developed as part of a demonstration project with the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), enables charging capacities of up to 1.05 megawatts. It therefore also serves as the infrastructural basis for the use of the international charging standard Megawatt Charging System (MCS). As soon as standardization is complete, MCS charging ports will be available for both initial equipment and retrofitting. This brings the decarbonization of heavy commercial vehicles within reach, even on long journeys.

Focus on sustainability and efficiency

By integrating the mega charging station into the Galliker site network, the self-consumption of solar power is maximized and the supply of e-vehicles with electricity from renewable sources is ensured. The necessary conditions are created by the association for self-consumption (ZEV). It combines the solar production of several properties. An energy management system ensures load disconnection, load shifting and the control of storage systems. The solution illustrates how renewable energies and charging technologies can be combined to shape the future of transportation logistics.

Thorben Maier, Head of Sales and Customer Service Charging Technology at Designwerk Technologies AG, emphasizes: “The commissioning of the Mega Charger at Galliker is an important milestone in the development of future-proof charging infrastructure for heavy commercial vehicles. Our technology enables logistics companies to cover a variety of charging scenarios in a sustainable manner, with the buffer storage relieving the load on the power grid.”

With the commissioning of the pilot plant, testing of various strategies for grid relief and economical operation will now begin.

Innovation Day testifies to the innovative strength of the industry

The commissioning took place in addition to the “Innovation Day by Galliker” in Altishofen. As part of the Galliker customer event, around 200 customers and partners were invited to visit Galliker’s headquarters and innovative infrastructures such as the Energy Hub, the Mega Charger and the E-Power Tunnel. Specialist presentations by Andreas Burgener, Damian Müller and internal experts from management, IT, quality management and infrastructure development ensured a varied program – as two years ago, the “Innovation Day by Galliker” was a platform for profitable discussions, professional exchange and new connections in the transport and logistics industry.