Scania has started global sales of its new under-cab battery module and Megawatt Charging System (MCS), expanding the capabilities of its electric truck portfolio for long-haul and heavy-duty transport applications.
The newly introduced under-cab battery module allows transport operators to optimise battery capacity more efficiently for a wider range of transport requirements. According to Scania, the new configuration enables electrification of heavy-load operations, advanced bodywork applications and long-distance haulage with greater operational flexibility.
Scania stated that certain applications equipped with the new battery solution can now achieve driving ranges exceeding 800 km on a single charge.
By positioning the battery module beneath the cab, Scania has freed up additional chassis space for bodywork installations while helping operators maintain an effective balance between driving range and payload capacity — one of the key challenges in heavy-duty electric transport.
The company added that the modular battery layout allows greater adaptability across multiple transport applications and body configurations.
Scania also highlighted that the European Union’s revised Gross Train Weight allowance regulations introduced in 2025 now enable the company to offer a 400-kWh usable battery capacity option capable of delivering a typical range of around 360 km without compromising payload capacity, even at the maximum legal weight limit.
The rollout of the Megawatt Charging System is expected to further improve charging efficiency and reduce downtime for long-haul electric truck operations, supporting the broader transition towards sustainable heavy transport solutions.
Scania’s MCS: key to the right battery charging strategy
Another factor for transport companies to bear in mind is that battery capacity does not necessarily limit the achievable range. A common misconception about electric trucks is that their battery capacity should always be large enough for the worst-case scenario, and always be optimised for maximum range, for example, 500 kilometres. However, if the transport assignment is only 300 kilometres, having the larger batteries is, in several use cases, unnecessary, and may affect the size of the payload.
Instead, it’s more about the charging strategy used for the job, and the introduction of Scania’s Megawatt Charging System (MCS) supports that need. Given the legally required rest breaks for the drivers, transporters can plan a battery charge during a journey at a natural stopping point, and top up from, say, 20 percent to 75 percent.
That is more than enough battery power to get the vehicle and its payload to the destination. A further charge could be done either at the delivery depot or on the way back to the truck’s base, all of which helps reduce both operating and capital expenditure.
“The new under-cab battery module optimises the placing of the truck batteries to transporters’ advantage,” says Tobias Ejderhamn, Global Manager, Transformation & New Business, Scania. “Thus, with the right battery set-up, MCS and a good charging strategy – using Scania’s own charging company Erinion or Scania Charging Access out on the road – our customers can easily solve the range versus payload question.”
“All of this just underlines the fact that haulage companies who choose Scania’s electric trucks are transporting goods, not kilowatt hours, and reducing their total cost of operation,” Ejderhamn says.
“Scania can now offer transport operators a comprehensive path to electrification and sustainable transport; one that is reliable, seamless, and commercially viable,” adds Lars Gustafsson, Head of Solutions Management, Scania. “With these two new additions to customers’ armoury it has become even easier and more attractive to make the change to electric transport.”
