Finland has recorded its first public charge using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), the high-power connector standard built for heavy trucks. On Friday, 2 October 2026, a Volvo FH Aero Electric truck charged at Plugit's PRO charging station in Kotka, according to a post Plugit published on 5 October. The session is now more than three weeks old. It is still worth covering because it shows a megawatt-class public truck site charging a production truck, with the operator, the truck maker and the equipment supplier all on the record.
Plugit says the charge ran both through the Volvo Open Charge service and directly through Plugit's own charging cables, and that both methods worked. Its post includes comments from Janne Silvonen, Product Manager for Volvo's electric lorries.
The Numbers Behind the Session
Plugit's post describes the Volvo FH Aero Electric as capable of charging at up to 700 kW, with a range of up to 700 km on a single charge. Treat 700 kW as Volvo's stated maximum, not a measured result from this session. Plugit did not publish the power the truck actually reached, how long it charged, or how much energy it took on in Kotka.
The station side is better documented. Kempower, which supplied the hardware, said in January 2026 that the Kotka site (at Mussalo, near the port of HaminaKotka) was initially equipped with:
- 1,800 kW of total capacity from three 600 kW Kempower power units
- Four Mega Satellite CCS dispensers, each rated up to 560 kW
- One Mega Satellite MCS rated up to 1.2 MW
Kempower said the station opened for trucks in December 2025. Simple arithmetic shows the dispensers' combined ratings (4 x 560 kW plus 1,200 kW, or 3,440 kW) are well above the site's 1,800 kW of power units, so the dispensers cannot all run at their maximum rating at once. The sources do not explain how Kotka allocates power when several trucks charge at the same time.
The MCS dispenser's 1.2 MW rating is also above the truck's stated 700 kW maximum, so the truck's rating is the lower of the two figures for this session.
Why MCS Matters for Heavy Trucks
MCS is a charging standard developed for heavy goods vehicles. Plugit says it allows megawatt-level charging power, many times faster than standard fast chargers, so large batteries can be charged while the driver is on a break. Kempower says the Kotka station lets e-truck drivers charge fully within the legally required minimum break of 45 minutes, though that is Kempower's claim from January and Plugit did not publish session figures for the October charge. On Kotka's CCS satellites the rating tops out at 560 kW, while the MCS satellite is rated up to 1.2 MW.
Where Plugit Stands
Plugit's footprint has changed this year, and the published counts need careful reading.
Heavy-duty network (as of 5 Oct 2026, per Plugit): about 350 public charging points in total, nine of them designed for heavy-duty vehicles. A tenth heavy-duty public charging point is under construction in Eskilstuna, Sweden. Public MCS charging is available at Plugit's stations in Kotka and Lieto.
Kempower partnership (Jan 2026): Plugit and Kempower signed a sales and service partnership agreement in January. Kempower's announcement said 15 locations had already been commissioned in Finland. It said the partners plan to open another 15 to 20 locations in Finland, Sweden and France, with the French sites tied to Plugit partner Bump. Kempower did not give site-level dates or say which sites are funded.
Helen acquisition (Jul 2026): On 8 July 2026, Plugit announced its acquisition of the charging business of Helen, the Helsinki energy company. The deal covers a network of 199 public charging stations and 798 charging points, serving over 55,000 users. Plugit said it would become the largest charging operator in the Helsinki metropolitan area by number of public charging points. CEO Johan Mild was quoted in the announcement.
The counts don't line up. Helen's network alone is listed at 798 charging points, while Plugit's October post gives about 350 public points for the company. Plugit's July release, meanwhile, describes the company as operating over 6,000 charging points in Finland and Sweden. The sources do not explain the differences. The figures may cover different things (public versus all points, or points in the Helen network that were not yet counted in October), but that is inference. Readers comparing operator sizes should note which figure and which date they are using.
What It Means for Drivers
Heavy-truck drivers and fleets: As of Plugit's 5 October post, public MCS charging is available at two Plugit stations in Finland, Kotka and Lieto. Kempower says the Kotka site has been open to trucks since December 2025 and also has four CCS dispensers rated up to 560 kW. Plugit says the first MCS session ran through Volvo Open Charge and through Plugit's own cables, and describes Volvo Open Charge as a part of Volvo Connect through which haulage companies can find, plan and pay for charging. Operators whose trucks use Volvo's service should check with Volvo or Plugit how access and billing work for their account. Neither company has published per-kWh or per-minute rates for MCS sessions in the sources reviewed, so ChargerFeed cannot report a price.
Fleets planning routes into Sweden: Plugit's Eskilstuna heavy-duty charging point is under construction, not open. The sources give no opening date, and none of them says whether it will include MCS.
Passenger-car drivers in the Helsinki area: The Helen deal moves what was Helen's public network, 199 stations and 798 points as of the July announcement, to Plugit. Plugit's release says Helen's charging customers will become Plugit customers with access to Plugit's wider network through a single app. The sources do not describe changes to payment methods or pricing for existing Helen users. Drivers should watch for notices from the operator rather than assume their current setup will stay the same.
Site hosts and depot operators: The Kotka layout shows one approach to mixed truck sites: a shared pool of power units feeding several high-power CCS dispensers and one MCS dispenser. Anyone weighing similar equipment should work from the manufacturer's specifications and their grid operator's requirements.
What We Still Don't Know
- The actual peak power and energy delivered during the 2 October session
- Public pricing for MCS sessions at Kotka and Lieto
- Opening dates for Eskilstuna and for the 15 to 20 locations planned under the Kempower partnership
- How the about-350-point public figure relates to the 798 points acquired from Helen and to the 6,000-plus figure in Plugit's July release
- How Kotka divides its 1,800 kW of power units among trucks charging at the same time
For now, the confirmed facts are these: one production electric truck has completed a public megawatt-standard charge in Finland, at a site that has been open to trucks since December 2025, run by an operator that has spent 2026 growing both its truck and its urban networks.
