Megawatt charging solves one problem and creates another. A heavy truck can add hundreds of kilometres of range in minutes, but the site then needs a grid connection sized for the peak. For most depots, ports and motorway hubs, that connection is the slowest and most expensive part of the project.
Neutron's answer is to treat the charger, the power core, the solar and the battery as one microgrid. The megawatt terminals deliver the speed. Solar and storage carry part of the peak, so the site depends less on grid expansion. This article walks through the hardware, the numbers and how to size it.
Where Megawatt Charging Gets Stuck
The terminal is rarely the constraint. The grid is. A network upgrade for a fleet depot typically costs £50,000 to £500,000 or more and takes 18 to 36 months. We compare that path with battery storage in BESS or grid upgrade for fleet depot charging.
Megawatt charging raises the stakes because the peak is high and short. A site may need a very large connection for a few hours a day, then sit mostly idle. Paying for network capacity that is used a fraction of the time is where the economics break down. A 3.2 MW system running from the grid alone needs about 3.3 MW of supply once conversion losses are counted (3.2 MW at 96% efficiency).
The Neutron Megawatt Range
Three liquid-cooled terminals cover the range from a single fast connector to true megawatt charging. Liquid-cooled cables keep the dispenser compact at these power levels.
| Terminal | Group output | Connectors | Per connector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSNM0800LC | up to 800 kW | 1 x CCS2 | 800 kW, 1,000 A peak |
| NSNM1600LC | up to 1.6 MW | 2 x CCS2 | 800 kW, 800 A each |
| NSNM3200LC | up to 3.2 MW | 2 x MCS | 1,600 kW, 1,600 A peak each |
All three run at 96% efficiency or better, operate from -30°C to +55°C, are CE and UKCA certified, and connect to the Electron CMS. The NSNM3200LC platform can also be configured down to natural-cooled or liquid-cooled CCS2 for standard fleet charging. Full specifications are on the megawatt charging page.
A dispenser and power cabinet pair at a fleet hub. Mixed fleets can combine megawatt terminals with satellite DC chargers under one Electron CMS.
The Power Core: NSNF0026MU720
Behind the terminals sits the master unit. The NSNF0026MU720 is Neutron's 720 kW megawatt-class master, and it is the building block that makes the system modular.
| Parameter | NSNF0026MU720 |
|---|---|
| DC output | 720 kW |
| DC output voltage | 150 to 1,000 V |
| Efficiency (peak) | 96% or better |
| AC input | 400 V, 3-phase, up to 1,100 A |
| Protection | IP55, outdoor rated |
| Terminals per master | up to 12 |
| Scaling | multiple masters can be combined for higher group output |
A 3.2 MW NSNM3200LC system uses five of these masters, which gives 3.6 MW of conversion capacity for 3.2 MW of output. You do not have to buy that final capacity on day one. Start with the masters and terminals the first vehicles need, then add masters and dispensers as the fleet grows, without changing the core infrastructure. Each step is a unit you can order, ship and install, not a rebuild. The wider master range is on the master units page.
How DC-Side Solar and Storage Shrink the Grid Connection
Solar generation and battery storage connect to the megawatt system on the DC side, the same side the vehicles charge from. Power from the panels or the battery reaches the vehicle without passing back through the AC grid connection. The grid then only has to supply what solar and the battery cannot. Coordination sits in the microgrid energy management layer. The financial case for combining all three is covered in passenger vs depot charging: which pays back first, so this article stays with the megawatt hardware and sizing.
Solar reduces the energy the site buys. Storage reduces the power the site has to import at the peak. For megawatt charging the second effect matters most, because the connection is sized by peak power.
An illustrative example
A depot wants 1.6 MW of charging available from a dual-gun NSNM1600LC. Its grid limit is 800 kW.
- The grid supplies 800 kW.
- One Neutron Power Plant container (3,727 kWh, 1 MW) supplies the other 800 kW.
- On nameplate capacity, that 800 kW gap is covered for more than four hours (3,727 / 800 = 4.7 hours), before any solar contribution and before usable-capacity limits.
The container recharges when the site is quiet, from solar or from the grid at a lower tariff. For smaller sites, the 215 kWh Power Hub (100 kW) plays the same role at a lower scale. This illustrates the method and is not a design: your own arrival pattern, dwell times and tariff decide the real sizing.
Dynamic power allocation helps as well. The Electron CMS shares capacity across dispensers in real time, so two vehicles arriving together do not each demand the full rated power at once.
What to Check Before You Size It
- The grid import limit. The firm number from your network operator, not the connection you hope for.
- Peak simultaneous vehicles. How many will plug in during the busiest hour.
- Dwell time. Long dwells reduce the power each vehicle needs and the battery you need.
- Vehicle acceptance. The vehicle must accept the current and the connector, CCS2 or MCS.
- Roof or canopy area for solar, and the structure to carry it.
- Future growth. The modular master is there to be added to, so plan the cable routes and space for it.
Where This Design Fits
High-throughput sites where speed matters and the grid is the limit: HGV and logistics depots, ports, motorway services and large bus depots. For a mixed fleet, pair megawatt terminals with Neutron satellite DC chargers and let the Electron CMS direct each vehicle to the right charger. For the architecture behind larger depots, see master-terminal architecture for 4 MW depot charging.
Frequently Asked Questions
What power can a Neutron megawatt terminal deliver?
The NSNM0800LC delivers up to 800 kW on one CCS2 connector, the NSNM1600LC up to 1.6 MW across two CCS2 connectors, and the NSNM3200LC up to 3.2 MW across two MCS connectors.
How much can DC-side solar and storage cut the grid connection a megawatt terminal needs?
Solar and battery storage connect on the DC side of the charging system. Storage supplies part of the peak power and solar reduces the energy imported, so the grid connection can be smaller than the charging peak. The size of the reduction depends on your arrival pattern and tariff.
Can a megawatt charging system be expanded later?
Yes. The NSNF0026MU720 master units can be combined for higher group output, and megawatt dispensers can be added as demand grows without changing the core infrastructure.
How many 720 kW masters does a 3.2 MW terminal need?
A 3.2 MW NSNM3200LC system uses five NSNF0026MU720 masters, which gives 3.6 MW of conversion capacity for 3.2 MW of output.
Send us your grid limit. We'll model the rest.
Give us your site's firm grid limit, the vehicles you charge and the peak number at once. Neutron's engineers will model the megawatt, solar and storage combination and show how much of the grid upgrade it can take out.
Talk to an Engineer