Mercedes will install new chargers delivering up to 600kW per vehicle

Next year, Mercedes will start installing a new type of EV charger at select locations across its charging network in the US and Europe. This is the Alpitronic HYC1000 and it will be able to deliver up to 600kW per vehicle at 800V.

Mercedes says the development of this charger was inspired by the one-megawatt charging performance set by the AMG GT XX concept. It lets the CLA add up to 202 miles of range in just ten minutes.

Unlike conventional fast-charging stations, where the power is built into the charging column thus limiting its use to one or two charging points, the HYC1000 system has a modular, decentralized architecture. It provides up to 1,000kW at 800 amps, intelligently distributed across multiple charging points through smart load management.

So it's not as much intended to charge any one vehicle at up to 600kW right now, as there are no mass-market EVs capable of charging that fast, but is future-proof for when they do appear. And in the meantime, it can intelligently distribute its capacity to multiple EVs charging at the same time.

In North America, the HYC1000 will support both CCS and NACS plugs. Mercedes' charging hubs are open to anyone, regardless of which car brand they have, but Mercedes owners have exclusive perks like automatic reservation of a charging point.

Around 80 Mercedes charging hubs are already in operation in Austria, China, Germany, Japan, and the US, including 41 in the US. Within a year, the company will roll these out in eight additional countries. It plans to have more than 10,000 fast-charging points worldwide by the end of the decade.