State Grid High-Power Charging Station Opens in China

State Grid Opens High-Power Truck Charging Demonstration Station

On August 15, State Grid Corporation of China announced that the State Grid high-power charging demonstration station at the Zhangqiu Service Area (Shanghai-bound) on the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway officially commenced operations on August 4 in Jinan, Shandong Province. The facility is China’s first grid-friendly high-power charging demonstration station designed specifically for electric heavy-duty trucks. The project combines high-power charging with grid-adaptation technologies, offering a practical demonstration of how large-scale electric truck charging can be deployed while addressing the power-quality and operational challenges associated with rapidly increasing electricity demand.

800 kW Charging Enables 15–20 Minute Full Charges

The station includes six dedicated heavy-duty truck charging bays and 12 high-power charging terminals, with each connector capable of delivering up to 800 kW. A heavy-duty truck equipped with a 450 kWh battery can be fully charged in approximately 15–20 minutes. The six charging bays use three different technical approaches: a flexible DC microgrid charging zone, a high-efficiency high-power charging zone, and a prefabricated integrated charging zone. The facility also incorporates quantum-based battery safety testing, zero-power standby, and flexible grid adaptation technologies, creating a reference model for future high-power charging infrastructure for electric heavy-duty trucks.

Grid Technologies Address High-Power Charging Challenges

To reduce the effect of high-power charging on grid voltage and frequency, State Grid Corporation of China is applying medium-voltage direct connection, solid-state transformers (SSTs), and flexible power dispatch technologies at the demonstration facility. These measures are intended to transform megawatt-scale charging from an inflexible electrical load into a flexible and adjustable load that can respond more effectively to grid conditions. The approach highlights the growing importance of coordinating charging infrastructure with power-system requirements as electric heavy-duty trucks require faster charging and substantially higher charging capacity than conventional passenger EV applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is significant about the new heavy-duty truck charging station?
The facility is China’s first grid-friendly high-power charging demonstration station specifically developed for electric heavy-duty trucks, combining rapid charging with grid-adaptive technologies. It has six dedicated charging bays and 12 terminals, with each connector delivering up to 800 kW. A truck with a 450 kWh battery can reportedly be fully charged in 15–20 minutes. The station also demonstrates flexible DC microgrid charging, high-efficiency high-power charging, and prefabricated integrated charging approaches, alongside technologies designed to manage the effects of megawatt-scale charging on grid voltage and frequency.