Shell builds MCS test centre in Hamburg

Shell is building a test centre for charging infrastructure in Hamburg. The centre will focus on megawatt charging and applications for trucks, buses, tractors and construction vehicles as well as ships with electric drives. The first tests are to be carried out as early as the end of 2025.

According to Shell, Germany’s most powerful test centre for heavy-duty charging infrastructure is currently being built in Hamburg. As the company announced, the new centre at the Shell Technology Centre Hamburg will enable charging capacities of up to five megawatts in future – a dimension that is particularly relevant for electrically powered trucks, buses, tractors, construction vehicles and ships.

“With the construction of the most powerful test centre for electrically powered heavy vehicles and infrastructure, we are a pioneer in the industry,” explained Felix Faber, CEO of Shell in Germany. The focus is on decarbonising the transport sector, which can make a decisive contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions through fast and efficient charging processes. Faber emphasises: “This is exactly where we are starting with our test centre for megawatt charging. This is where solutions can continue to mature, industry partners can come together and, together with us, make a contribution to the electrification and therefore decarbonisation of the entire sector.”

The centre is not only a milestone for Shell’s own developments, such as the electric depot solutions from subsidiary SBRS or the public charging network from ubitricity and Shell Recharge, but also offers vehicle and charging infrastructure manufacturers a comprehensive test environment. Twelve automated test benches, over 50 flexible test stations and climate chambers will enable simulations under realistic and extreme conditions, from -40 to +50 degrees Celsius. Tests on interoperability, energy and charging management or safety aspects of high-risk components are also planned. Both lorries and cars can be tested with the MCS standard.

The technical equipment is particularly noteworthy: the test centre includes a switchgear with 10kV AC and 3.6kV DC (medium voltage) as well as a bi-directional DC emulator with up to 5.2MW (3.6 kV), which also enables simultaneous test operation with six times 800kW (1,000 V). Only electricity from renewable sources is used.

shell.de (in German)