i-charging and SOLUM Begin Commercial Deliveries of 1.6 MW MAX EV Charging Platform
i-charging, a Portugal-based electric vehicle charging infrastructure company, has begun commercial deliveries of its new MAX charging platform, marking a major step forward in the development of high-power charging technology for electric fleets and heavy-duty transportation.
The first MAX systems left the production facility at the end of June and are now being installed at customer locations in Portugal. The milestone follows the timeline announced by i-charging earlier this year and represents the first commercial achievement of the company’s strategic partnership with SOLUM, a global power electronics and technology company.
Designed to deliver up to 1.6 megawatts (MW) of charging power, the MAX platform has been developed to address the growing demand for faster, more powerful and more flexible charging infrastructure. The system combines SOLUM’s EV Power Module with i-charging’s modular charging architecture, creating a platform aimed at public charging hubs, fleet depots and logistics operations.
The commercial launch comes at a time when the European transportation sector is undergoing a rapid shift toward electrification. Electric passenger vehicles are already expanding across many markets, while electric buses, trucks and other heavy-duty commercial vehicles are increasingly entering regular fleet operations. As the number of large electric vehicles on the road increases, the need for charging infrastructure capable of delivering high levels of power in shorter periods is becoming increasingly important.
For fleet operators and logistics companies, charging downtime can directly affect productivity, vehicle utilization and operating costs. Traditional charging systems may not always provide the speed or flexibility required by modern commercial operations. MAX has been designed to respond to these challenges by combining high charging capacity with a modular design that can adapt to different operational requirements.
A New Generation of High-Power Charging
The MAX platform can scale from 50 kW to 1.6 MW within a single cabinet. This broad power range allows the system to serve different types of charging applications, from conventional fast-charging requirements to the high-power needs of heavy-duty electric transportation.
The platform supports several major charging standards, including the Combined Charging System (CCS), the North American Charging Standard (NACS), China’s GB/T standard and the Megawatt Charging System (MCS). The inclusion of MCS support is particularly significant as the commercial vehicle industry moves toward electric trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles capable of accepting extremely high charging power.
As electric truck technology continues to advance, manufacturers are introducing vehicles with larger battery packs and increasingly faster charging capabilities. Charging infrastructure must evolve alongside these vehicles. High-power platforms such as MAX are intended to reduce charging times and make electric vehicles more practical for demanding commercial applications, including long-distance transport, distribution networks and high-utilization fleet operations.
The system’s modular design also gives operators greater flexibility. Instead of relying on a fixed charging configuration, the platform can be scaled according to the needs of a particular location. This can be especially important for charging hubs that may initially serve a smaller number of vehicles but are expected to expand as electric fleet adoption grows.
Dynamic Power Allocation for Multiple Vehicles
One of the key features of the MAX platform is i-charging’s patented dynamic power allocation technology. The system can distribute available charging power in real time across up to eight vehicles connected simultaneously.
Rather than allocating a fixed amount of power to each vehicle, the technology adjusts the distribution according to the charging requirements of the connected vehicles. This enables operators to make more efficient use of the available electrical capacity and charging infrastructure.
For example, one vehicle may require a higher level of power because its battery is at a lower state of charge, while another may need significantly less power because it is nearing completion. A dynamic system can respond to these changing requirements, directing power where it is most needed.
This approach can help improve the utilization of a charging site and reduce the need to install unnecessary additional infrastructure. It may also allow fleet operators to coordinate charging more efficiently, particularly at busy depots where several vehicles need to be charged during the same operating window.
The ability to support up to eight simultaneously connected vehicles further expands the platform’s suitability for fleet and public charging environments. As the number of electric vehicles at charging hubs increases, intelligent energy management is expected to become as important as maximum charging power.
SOLUM Power Module at the Core
At the heart of the MAX platform is SOLUM’s EV Power Module. The system is designed to operate with up to 32 power modules in parallel, enabling megawatt-class charging performance within a compact and scalable architecture.
The integration of a high number of power modules allows the platform to combine high output with flexibility and redundancy. For operators of commercial charging sites, system availability is critical. A charging system that is unavailable for extended periods can disrupt fleet schedules and reduce the economic value of an electric vehicle operation.
The modular approach can help support the development of systems that are scalable and adaptable to different charging requirements. It was also a major factor in i-charging’s decision to select SOLUM as its technology partner for the MAX platform.
SOLUM has developed significant expertise in power electronics and energy systems since its establishment. The company was founded in 2015 as a spin-off from Samsung Electro-Mechanics and has continued to expand its technology portfolio across several sectors.
The EV Power Module has been developed to meet the demanding requirements of high-power charging, including the need for reliability, scalability and efficient power conversion. For i-charging, the technology provides the foundation for a charging platform capable of reaching 1.6 MW while maintaining a modular architecture.
Meeting the Needs of European Fleets
The first commercial installations in Portugal provide an important demonstration of the MAX platform in real-world operating conditions. Portugal has been among the European markets investing in the development of electric mobility infrastructure, and the first installations will provide valuable experience as the companies prepare for wider deployment.
The demand for powerful charging infrastructure is expected to increase as European transport operators begin electrifying larger portions of their fleets. While passenger vehicles can often be charged overnight or during extended parking periods, commercial trucks and other high-utilization vehicles frequently operate on tighter schedules.
For these vehicles, charging speed can have a direct impact on business operations. A vehicle that spends less time charging can potentially spend more time transporting goods or serving customers. This makes high-power charging an important component of the broader transition to electric commercial transportation.
Pedro Silva, CEO of i-charging, emphasized the importance of bringing the MAX platform from product announcement to commercial deployment.
“Bringing a 1.6 MW charging system from product announcement to commercial installation is a significantly greater challenge than much of the industry assumed for a long time,” Silva said. “In addition to leading technical specifications, the ability to scale at the pace demanded by European public charging operators and fleet operators is equally important.”
His comments highlight a key challenge facing the charging industry. Developing a high-power charging system is only one part of the process. Manufacturers and infrastructure providers must also be able to produce, install and support the systems at commercial scale.
Strategic Partnership Moves Into Commercial Phase
The first MAX deliveries represent the transition of the i-charging and SOLUM partnership from technology development to commercial deployment.
Daniel Lee, CEO of SOLUM Europe, said the first commercial delivery demonstrates the capability of the company’s EV Power Module to serve as the foundation of megawatt-scale charging systems.
“This first commercial delivery demonstrates that SOLUM’s EV Power Module can serve as the heart of megawatt-scale charging systems,” Lee said. “As we begin deliveries across Europe together with i-charging, our focus is on ensuring that every installed megawatt creates tangible value for fleet and logistics operators driving electrification in Portugal and across Europe.”
The partnership reflects the increasingly collaborative nature of the EV charging industry. High-power charging systems require expertise across several areas, including power electronics, software, energy management, hardware design and infrastructure deployment.
By combining SOLUM’s power module technology with i-charging’s charging architecture and power management capabilities, the two companies aim to offer a complete solution for customers requiring high-capacity charging.
Expansion Across Europe
Following the first installations in Portugal, i-charging and SOLUM plan to gradually expand the MAX platform into additional European markets.
The companies have already received orders from countries including Germany and Switzerland, indicating early interest in the technology beyond the Portuguese market. Germany is one of Europe’s largest automotive and logistics markets, while Switzerland also has a growing interest in sustainable transport and electrification.
The planned expansion will allow the companies to introduce the platform to a broader range of customers, including fleet operators, logistics companies, public charging network operators and other organizations developing high-power charging infrastructure.
SOLUM is also planning to expand the application of its EV Power Module across the global electric mobility charging market. As charging requirements continue to grow, the company expects demand for high-performance power electronics to increase across multiple vehicle categories and charging applications.
The commercial delivery of the MAX platform therefore represents more than the launch of a new charging product. It marks a step toward the next generation of charging infrastructure, in which high power, intelligent energy distribution and modular scalability are combined in a single system.
As electric commercial vehicles become more common and transportation companies increasingly depend on reliable charging networks, the ability to deliver power quickly and efficiently will become a central factor in the success of fleet electrification.
With its ability to provide up to 1.6 MW of power, support multiple charging standards and dynamically distribute energy among several vehicles, the MAX platform is positioned to address some of the most important challenges facing the rapidly expanding electric mobility sector.
The first installations in Portugal will serve as an important starting point for the technology. With additional orders already received from European markets, i-charging and SOLUM are now preparing to expand their commercial relationship and bring megawatt-class charging capabilities to a growing number of electric vehicle operators across Europe.
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