Markus Makoschitz and his team from AIT Austrian Institute of Technology have won the renowned Houska Prize, Austria’s largest private award for applied research, with its project MEDUSA (Sustainable Multi-Megawatt Fast Charging on the Medium Voltage Grid) in the non-university research category. The MEDUSA project, coordinated by AIT’s Center for Energy, aims to drastically cut charging times for electric heavy-duty vehicles by connecting fast-charging stations directly to the medium-voltage grid. Charging a 400-kWh bus battery is reduced from 4.5 hours to just eight minutes, while emissions are minimized through integrated battery storage and solar power. This medium-voltage technology is a key enabler for the global electrification of freight transport. Project leader Prof. Dr. Markus Makoschitz, Principal Scientist at AIT and Professor at Montanuniversität Leoben, emphasized: “This recognition is a tremendous honor for our team and partners. We’re focused on smart, scalable, and efficient solutions with real market relevance—key factors for real-world success.”

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About Markus Makoschitz

Markus Makoschitz was appointed Professor of Power Electronics at Montanuniversität Leoben (ECPE Competence Centre) at the end of 2023. He studied electrical engineering at TU Wien and focused on power electronics in his doctoral research. He later joined the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), where he established key research areas in wide bandgap and medium-voltage power electronics. In December 2023, Makoschitz was also named Principal Scientist at the AIT Center for Energy.