Dossier | BAE Systems Class 7 truck demo January/February 2026 | E-Mobility Engineering standard. Matthews says the team saw the need for higher switching frequency, smaller components and a lighter, lowercost design and wanted to gain as much time as possible with the new technology, rather than playing catch-up. “The earlier you start working with a technology, the sooner you can understand its limitations and its potential and look for ways to make the most of it,” he comments. “Getting in early allowed us to find ways to tap into the opportunities of SiC and unlock significant performance and efficiency increases in the motor control algorithm.” The system can also provide continuous isolation monitoring for both AC and DC ground faults through the use of custom circuitry – which is optional for either the MAPS or the MPCS, depending on which components are used in a system – allowing it to monitor link-to-chassis and link-to-link for both AC and DC faults. Battery development The batteries are supplied by longstanding partner Forsee Power, whose packs were integrated on the very first IVECO battery buses used in Paris in 2013. The ZEN Plus range, which was launched in 2022, was selected for this project, providing 650–800 V use with VDA lithium-ion NMC modules and a range of capacities from 74 to 84 kWh. The demo truck combines three ZEN 77 Plus packs, integrated in parallel, to deliver a total of 231 kWh of energy at the beginning of life (BOL), with a 3C rating and a temperature of 25 C. The impressive per-pack energy density is 177 Wh/kg (232 Wh/L) with a lifetime promise of up to 5000 charge cycles. Each pack provides a peak power discharge of 213 kW for up to 10 seconds, with continuous power discharge of 90 kW when at a 50% state of charge (SoC) and a temperature of 25 C. In the same conditions, charging power sits at a continuous level of 90 kW and a peak of 213 kW for up to 10 seconds. Each battery pack measures 1.7 m in length, 70.5 cm in width and 27.5 mm in height and weighs in at 433 kg. They have a flame-resistant coating and IP67 protection and comply with ISO 26262 / ASIL C, ISO 12405, IEC 62660 and IEC 60664 standards as well as R10-6 and R100 rev3 certification. Forsee uses responsibly sourced materials to improve sustainability, while its innovative technologies aim to improve performance and durability, extending battery lifetime. The packs are designed to be easily repairable – with a detachable electronic block on the front panel – and can be used in stationary energy storage systems at the end of their first life. The batteries are also ideal from an integration standpoint and Matthews explains: “They allow us to connect packs in parallel, so we don’t have to run cables to our MPCS for each pack. The amount of battery packs can be specified based on the vehicle use-case and are mounted underneath the cab 26
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