CHINA. BorgWarner to pilot 960kW fast charging for trucks in China

BorgWarner New Energy (Xiangyang), the global industrial real estate company Goodman Group, and zero-emission long-haul truck developer Windrose Technology are building a pilot project near Beijing for 960kW fast-charging. The three companies aim to develop infrastructure for electric long-haul trucks for Goodman’s properties in China.

BorgWarner megawatt chargers for Windrose Technology trucks at Goodman properties are now being installed at a pilot project near to be expanded to other properties throughout China. Decathalon sporting equipment is a Goodman customer with a decarbonisation strategy resting on the success of the project. These partnerships have the potential to be expanded to other locations globally.

BorgWarner is the latest partner to join forces in electrification across Goodman Group properties in China. Goodman Group is a global industrial and logistics real estate developer. The group’s portfolio includes logistics warehouses, industrial parks and data centres, including for Decathalon. The group develop properties for customers in major markets around the world and wants to offer ways for its customers to reduce emissions. The company says the cooperation with BorgWarner and electric truck maker Windrose on fast charging for electric heavy-duty trucks is a key step in achieving this aim.

The first project underway in the first half of 2024 with the three partners is to be located at the Decathlon-operated warehouse in Goodman Citylink near Beijing. Here, BorgWarner, Windrose and Goodman aim to test and establish a pilot charging station. According to the companies involved, this will be the world’s first operational megawatt-level super-charging infrastructure.

Windrose Technology is already providing battery-electric heavy-duty truck solutions for Goodman customers in China. These are said to be “autonomous ready”.

A key challenge for Goodman’s customers is the downtime required for charging large trucks, which keeps them from valuable hours on the road. Windrose Technology has an offering of electric trucks that includes a new generation with a 729kWh battery equipped with an 800V high-voltage fast charging platform. The trucks are said to have a range of 600 kilometres with a full load of 49 tonnes.

BorgWarner claims to be able to replenish 400 kilometres of range for a Windrose truck in 36 minutes.

This is possible with a BorgWarner 960kW liquid-cooled high-power supercharging pile consisting of a charging host and two liquid-cooled charging terminals. The electric truck charging solution can support dual-gun single-vehicle high-power super-fast charging, with a single-gun maximum output of up to 600A.

The new charging system stems from developments early last year when BorgWarner developed a 720kW four-gun integrated supercharging pile for fast-charging electric construction machinery and vehicles. This generation of chargers designed for electric mining trucks supported four guns to charge one vehicle at the same time, achieving 720kW high-power super-fast charging. For BorgWarner, the new 960kw liquid-cooled charger at Goodman Citylink near Beijing is another breakthrough in supercharging technology for the company.

The three companies see their pilot project as being able to unlock more possibilities for fast charging of large-capacity commercial vehicles.