Megawatt Charging Systems for Long-haul Battery Electric Trucks in the Great Britain: Challenges and Opportunities

Webinar details

The transition to zero-emission road freight is creating an urgent need for high-power charging infrastructure capable of supporting long-haul battery electric trucks. Megawatt Charging Systems offer a promising solution by enabling large truck batteries to be recharged within mandatory driver-rest periods. However, their large and highly variable power demand presents significant challenges for electricity networks, charging-station design, grid connection, energy management, and infrastructure planning.
This webinar will explore the technical and operational requirements of megawatt charging stations for long-haul battery electric trucks in Great Britain. It will examine expected charging demand, station capacity requirements, grid impacts, charging-location planning, and the potential role of battery energy storage and smart charging. The presentation will also highlight emerging opportunities for researchers, network operators, charging-service providers, fleet operators, policymakers, and technology developers in supporting the electrification of heavy-duty road transport.

• The webinar will be recorded and will be sent out to registered attendees afterwards.
• A certificate of attendance will be provided to attendees who request one near the end of the live webinar session.
• Please note: the time stated on this event is in UTC. You will need to convert this to your own time zone.

Key takeaways from this webinar:

• The role of Megawatt Charging Systems in enabling long-haul battery electric truck operations.
• The charging characteristics, power requirements, and operational constraints of heavy-duty electric trucks.
• Methods for estimating truck-charging demand using traffic, journey, battery, and state-of-charge data.
• The potential impacts of multi-megawatt charging stations on distribution and transmission networks.
• Key challenges relating to grid connection capacity, voltage regulation, peak demand, charger utilisation, and infrastructure cost.
• The role of battery energy storage systems, renewable generation, smart charging, and energy management in reducing grid impacts.
• Strategic considerations for locating megawatt charging stations along major freight corridors in Great Britain.
• Research, investment, and innovation opportunities arising from the transition to zero-emission heavy-duty transport.

Event Details

• Date: Monday 14 September 2026
• Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM UTC
• Location: Online Session

Meet the Presenter

Chandima Pathiranage – ECT Lecturer

Dr. Chandima Pathiranage is an accomplished academic and researcher in Electrical Engineering with over 17 years of experience across higher education, applied research, and industry-focused engineering consultancy. His expertise spans power electronics, high-power converters, renewable energy grid integration, battery and hybrid energy storage systems (BESS/HESS), electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, smart grids, and intelligent control systems.
Dr. Pathiranage holds a PhD in Robotics and Intelligent Systems and a Master of Engineering from Saga University, Japan—where he was awarded the prestigious JSME Miura Award for outstanding academic achievement—as well as a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.
Throughout his career, including extensive service as a Professor at the University of Moratuwa, a Visiting Professor at the University of Nottingham, and a Research Associate at Cardiff University, he has spearheaded research on high-impact projects. Most recently, his work with Cardiff University and National Grid UK focused on the interaction of megawatt heavy-duty eTruck charging networks with high-voltage transmission systems.
A Senior Member of IEEE and a Chartered Engineer, Dr. Pathiranage has published more than 85 peer-reviewed journal articles and international conference papers. He has served in key leadership roles, including President of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Sri Lanka Chapter, and continues to consult on advanced energy systems, microgrids, and power quality optimization.

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