BAIC Foton launches fast-charging ecosystem for electric trucks
Megawatt charging is at the centre of BAIC Foton's plans for a fast-charging ecosystem for electric trucks. The Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer is presenting a range of light- and heavy-duty vehicles alongside a fast-charging network that it intends to expand into markets beyond China, including Europe.
Image: Foton
BAIC Foton, also known as Beiqi Foton Motor, is making a major push into the electric truck charging sector. Together with CATL, Sunwoda, TELD, and Hunan Jingneng, the Chinese commercial vehicle OEM has formed an alliance to build thousands of standardised fast-charging stations. As part of this initiative, the company also aims to install more than 3,000 charging stations abroad by 2027, specifically in the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, Africa, and Europe. BAIC Foton unveiled the initiative during a major corporate event in Beijing.
The foundation of BAIC Foton’s ‘Supercharging’ strategy is a robust ecosystem approach. By integrating vehicles, charging stations, the power grid, and the cloud, the truck charger is set to evolve “from single-vehicle charging toward comprehensive energy services,” as the manufacturer puts it. The system is built on four core platforms: connected vehicle data, charging processes, energy interactions between vehicles and the grid, and battery management. This creates a data-driven overall system. The company explained: “Relying on more than 3.5 million connected vehicles online, daily data processing capacity of 3PB and more than 770,000 linked charging terminals, the system provides data support for charging network planning and operations.”
Light-duty truck with megawatt charging capability
BAIC Foton also introduced the matching vehicles on this occasion: the manufacturer highlighted the Aumark Z, a light-duty truck with megawatt charging capability. According to the company, the model is based on a dedicated electric platform and achieves a maximum charging power of 1.05 MW. “Thanks to an 8C charging rate and this peak performance, the battery can be charged from 20 to 80 per cent in eight minutes,” BAIC Foton stated in the presentation.
Among the heavy-duty electric trucks, two models are set to be equipped with megawatt charging ports: the Auman Galaxus and the Cavan Beacon. However, the company does not specify the maximum charging power or charging time for the aforementioned charging session. It only mentions that a range of approx. 100 km can be recharged within six minutes and that the vehicles are suitable for express logistics, refrigerated transport, port operations, and bulk logistics.
The Cavan Beacon platform is not new. Foton had already unveiled a derivative of this platform at the IAA Transportation. This is a platform for heavy-duty trucks with low- and zero-emission drivetrains. To date, Foton has announced a battery-electric and a hydrogen-powered 40-tonne truck based on this platform. But this is just a brief digression.
Charging station to integrate local energy generation
Regarding the charging solution for the upcoming truck fast-charging ecosystem, BAIC Foton presented a charging station in Beijing with a 10-kV AC input and a 1,000-V DC output, which can be coupled with PV systems and stationary storage. The infrastructure can demonstrate its strengths when charging vehicles are dual-gun capable, meaning they can be charged via two charging cables simultaneously.
At the ecosystem level, BAIC Foton also announced the launch of a ‘Supercharger’ industry alliance, which already includes prominent partners such as battery manufacturers CATL and Sunwoda, charging network operator TELD, and charging hardware manufacturer Hunan Jingneng New Energy Technology. The goal: “To implement 5,000 standardised, integrated charging stations.” BAIC Foton does not provide a timeline for this. However, for its international business, the manufacturer – as mentioned earlier – aims to install 3,000 units by the end of next year.
Qin Zhidong, Vice President of BAIC Foton, emphasised during the presentation of the plans that the new fast-charging ecosystem is intended to “improve logistics efficiency, reduce operating costs, and support greener commercial transportation worldwide.” Zhidong also highlighted additional areas of potential such as virtual power plants, battery leasing, and second-life concepts for batteries.