Designwerk: Galliker Transport puts Mega Charger with buffer storage into operation

Together with the pilot customer Galliker Transport AG, the Swiss e-mobility specialist Designwerk Technologies AG is bringing the future into the present. The so-called «Stationary Battery Backed Mega Charger» (SBC) from Designwerk was officially commissioned after a development phase of around two years. At the ceremonial handover in the presence of Councilor Damian Müller, Martin Bütikofer, the Director of the Swiss Museum of Transport, and Andreas Burgener, former Director of Auto Schweiz, guests from Switzerland and Germany received an exclusive insight into the world of mega charging for heavy commercial vehicles. The charging station had already been awarded the «The Smarter E-Award» in the e-mobility category beforehand. 

Use of Solar Power from the Site Network

The combination of storage and charging solution at Galliker includes four battery packs with a total capacity of 1000 kWh. In the maximum version, storage with a total capacity of up to 2000 kWh can be accommodated. The charging station is charged during the day with self-produced 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 site network by smoothing out peak loads," explains Felix Felder, Fleet Management Manager at Galliker Transport AG.

Upward Compatible and Powerful

The Galliker charging station initially features two CCS charging points with a power output of 420 kilowatts DC each. The Designwerk SBC charging container, developed as part of a demonstration project with support from the Federal Office of Energy (BFE), enables charging capacities of up to 1.05 megawatts. Thus, it also serves as an infrastructural basis for the use of the international Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standard. Once 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 distances.

Sustainability and Efficiency in Focus

By integrating the mega charging station into Galliker’s area network, the self-consumption of solar power is maximized and the supply of e-vehicles with electricity from renewable sources is ensured. The necessary prerequisites are created by the self-consumption association (ZEV). It connects the solar production of several properties. An energy management system ensures load shedding, load shifting, and the control of storage systems. The solution demonstrates how renewable energies and charging technologies can be combined to shape the future of transport 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 sustainably cover a wide range of charging scenarios, with buffer storage relieving the power grid."

With the commissioning of the pilot plant, the testing of various strategies for grid relief and economic operation now begins.