Dallas SWE February Professional Development Event Recap
Tech Talk: Become a MegaStar – An Intro to Megawatt Charging
Dallas SWE members gathered on February 18 at PACCAR North Texas for an insightful professional development event featuring Nicole Anklam, Charging System Owner and SME at PACCAR. The evening combined technical learning with networking over dinner, offering attendees a deep dive into the future of electrification in heavy-duty transportation.
Nicole began by walking attendees through the evolution of charging hardware, including the different charging levels and charging inlets used across the automotive industry. She also explained the role of communication protocols and standards, highlighting that the emerging Megawatt Charging System (MCS) operates on a single standardized communication protocol designed to support ultra-high-power charging.
A key theme of the talk was the unique challenges of electrifying heavy-duty trucking. Since truckers often drive more than 500 miles in a single trip, vehicles require much larger batteries. Larger batteries create the need for significantly faster charging, which is driving the development of megawatt-level charging capable of delivering up to 3.5 MW of power.
While originally developed for heavy-duty trucking, Nicole emphasized that MCS technology has potential applications across multiple industries, expanding its impact beyond transportation alone.
Another important discussion point was power infrastructure. To bridge the gap between the energy required for megawatt charging and the capacity currently available from the grid, solutions such as microgrids are emerging. Microgrids can help manage energy distribution locally and support the high-power charging needs of future electric fleets.
Nicole concluded by highlighting that the success of the EV ecosystem will depend heavily on collaboration across the industry, particularly between suppliers and OEMs, to ensure that charging infrastructure, vehicle technology, and standards evolve together.
The event provided members with valuable insights into one of the most exciting technological advancements in transportation, while also offering an opportunity to connect with fellow engineers and professionals in the Dallas SWE community.
