The electrification of heavy‑duty road transport is advancing along differentiated maturity paths for buses, regional trucks, and long‑haul heavy‑duty vehicles. While depot charging supported by intelligent load management remains a cornerstone for fleet electrification, long‑distance battery‑electric trucking requires public high‑power charging infrastructure capable of delivering large energy volumes within regulated driving and rest periods. In this context, corridor‑based high‑power charging and the introduction of the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) represent a decisive step toward the full electrification of long‑haul freight transport.

This paper presents the first charging results from the real‑world operation of megawatt charging infrastructure deployed under the German publicly funded research and demonstration project HoLa – Hochleistungsladen im Lkw‑Fernverkehr. The HoLa project establishes and operates high‑power charging sites at four strategically selected locations along major German highway corridors and logistics hubs, combining motorway service areas with depot‑like environments. Battery‑electric heavy‑duty vehicles from multiple European OEMs are operated in live logistics use cases, enabling evaluation under real traffic conditions, authentic grid constraints, and operational uncertainty.

Within the HoLa consortium, Shell plays a dual role that is of relevance for infrastructure scalability and operational robustness. First, Shell acts as operator of two highway‑adjacent charging sites, integrating megawatt‑scale charging into existing energy and retail environments and ensuring continuous operation under public access conditions. Second, Shell contributes as a charging technology provider through its subsidiary SBRS (Shell Business Recharge Solutions), supplying high‑power charging hardware and associated power electronics tested under field conditions. This dual role enables an integrated assessment of charger design, control strategies, maintainability, and grid interaction from a single operational framework.

The contribution focuses on early operational evidence related to charging performance, infrastructure reliability, grid connection behavior, and system stability at megawatt power levels. The results demonstrate that public megawatt charging along highways is technically feasible today, while also highlighting remaining challenges related to grid connection lead times, redundancy concepts, and standardized operational processes.

The HoLa project demonstrates that megawatt charging infrastructure can be successfully integrated into public highway environments and operated reliably when supported by such cross‑sector cooperation.