All-electrified
The MAN eMobility Experience Days at the Munich test track turned eMobility into a real experience. Customers, journalists and experts saw current and future e-mobility at first hand. The focus was on the new MAN eTruck and the MAN Lion’s City 10 E.
There was great amazement. “Sensationally quiet,” “powerful acceleration,” “you don’t even notice that you’ve got ten tonnes behind you,” “drives like a car” – those were just a few of the spontaneous initial comments from customers and journalists at the MAN eMobility event from 17 to 21 October 2022.
There, they had the opportunity to drive the almost production-ready MAN eTruck on the MAN test track for the very first time. The all-electric truck, due to enter production in 2024, joined the fully electric MAN Lion’s City 10 E midibus as the main attractions of the event. In addition to two eTrucks, visitors could also drive an eTGM. With a maximum daily range of 190 kilometres, it is designed for application in inner-city goods distribution and delivery traffic.
In countless test drives on the track, visitors could experience the many benefits of emission-free drive technology in practice. However, it was not just the vehicles, but also the copious information on MAN eMobility services, battery production and the company’s electric drive expertise that made it clear that the future of MAN is electric.
At the start of my test drive, I wondered if I was actually driving a truck or a car. The eTruck was child’s play to operate and to move. We have already signed up to pre-order the vehicle. “
The invited guests were impressed by the driving characteristics of the all-electric truck. “So quiet, so economical, so quick off the mark …”
The two eTrucks were equipped with the OptiView mirror replacement system, giving sight to the blind spot. That’s a key aspect when it comes to safety.
MAN is working intensively with its partners on megawatt charging systems to be able to supply its electric trucks with the electric energy they need as quickly and effectively as possible in the future.
into the future: the megawatt charging plug is pretty big and heavy.
Guests were able to try out how future megawatt charging works on this model. Experts from MAN Transport Solutions provided the necessary on-site advice.
MAN experts including Dr Markus Pröbster, head of the eMobility technical centre in Nuremberg, explained to guests how flexibly the battery packs can be used in both eTrucks and eBuses.
- MAN eTruck in action
- OptiView for perfect vision
- Full charging power
- A hands-on glimpse
- Megawatt charging pit stop
- Modular battery solutions
Political support is necessary
That’s exactly why the TRATON GROUP, which includes MAN, is deeply committed to expanding the charging infrastructure: Working with a number of industry partners, they have founded a joint venture to build at last 1,700 high-capacity charging points on or near motorways and logistics hubs across Europe. The partners are investing a total of € 500 million in the project. However, visitors to the event believe that extensive political support for this endeavour is necessary.
Only then will eTrucks be able to unleash their full potential: Compared to a diesel truck for long-haul transport (with an average fuel consumption of 27 litres per 100 kilometres), a single electric truck can save up to 100 tonnes of CO2, based on an annual mileage of 120,000 kilometres. That’s winning over more and more logistics operators who want to do something about climate change. Consequently, it is estimated that there will be some 270,000 electric trucks on the roads of Germany by 2030.
MAN leads the way when it comes to sustainability and has committed to binding climate targets as part of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi): Fleet greenhouse gas emissions per kilometre driven by all trucks, buses and vans sold by MAN are set to fall by 28 per cent by 2030 compared to the base year 2019. MAN is clearly relying on battery electric mobility as a replacement for the diesel engine here, because it is significantly more energy efficient and economical in comparison with hydrogen propulsion systems. This makes eMobility the first choice for transport solutions to sustainably reduce CO2 emissions.
I would like to be supported by MAN, right from A to Z, from the purchase of the vehicle to its disposal. “
MAN eMobility expert Raphaela Natterer welcomed the invited guests at the beginning of the event and explained which highlights awaited customers and journalists at the various stations.
Dr Michael Bernath, head of the development of the new driveline components, explained the structure of the energy storage systems to the guests. Each battery pack consists of battery cells that are grouped into modules and combined together in individual layers. Depending on customer requirements, MAN offers three variants for trucks and buses.
Achim Demattio, Project Manager Sales for the new eTruck at MAN Truck & Bus, explained the key features and specifics of the new eTruck to MAN customers before they took the wheel themselves.
Bernd Reining, Fleet Manager at Duvenbeck Consulting GmbH, was involved in the vehicle planning during the production of the eTruck. MAN finds discussion with customers to be an extremely important aspect in the development of its models.
Bernd Reining wants MAN driver training to teach him how he can save energy in the future, when he switches his fleet to electric vehicles. He received the first live training right at the eMobility event.
In the eyes of Rudolf Ebner, head of Procurement and Fleet at Quehenberger Logistics, the greatest obstacle to the transition to e-mobility is the infrastructure, because there are still too few charging stations for the transport sector.
MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp did not miss the opportunity to do a few laps of the test track in the new eTruck as well. He was then on hand to talk to guests and answer any questions on the mobility transition. The MAN CEO agrees that one of the greatest obstacles is the necessary infrastructure. Industry and politicians must work closely together on this.
- Welcoming the guests
- High-voltage batteries made by MAN
- Theory before practice
- Discussion with customers
- Early experience is important
- The infrastructure is a problem
- CEO at the wheel
Alongside the eTruck, the new MAN Lion’s City 10 E was the other star of the event. This was the first time it was presented to an international trade audience – and it met with great applause.
Viktor Schaub (right), Product Manager Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, explaining the benefits of the small, manoeuvrable minibus to guests. Just like its big brothers, it is available with an optional new, efficient CO2 air-conditioning system.
With the MAN Lion’s City 18 E, the Lion’s City 12 E and the new Lion’s City 10 E (from left to right), the MAN eBus family is complete for now. Bus driver Heinrich Degenhart of MAN ProfiDrive (centre front) is looking forward to many quiet and emission-free journeys.
The many journalists who attended put the new midibus under the microscope. Production is due to start in Starachowice in early 2023.
- The new MAN Lion’s City 10 E
- Talk to the experts on all things bus
- The family is complete
- Pencils sharpened, cameras rolling
Premiere for the shorter eBus
The other highlight of the event, alongside the MAN eTruck, was the brand-new MAN Lion’s City 10 E midibus. It was launched on 21 October – to an audience including the 24 international industry journalists who had recently picked the Lion’s City 12 E as Bus of the Year 2023. The small eBus completes the Lion’s City E family, and this was the first time the members of the Bus of the Year awards jury had been given the opportunity to admire it.
At only 10.5 metres long, this electric bus has a record-breaking turning circle of 17.2 metres and a wheelbase of just 4.40 metres. This makes it the ideal solution for narrow city centres and busy pedestrian areas. The Lion’s City 10 E has given MAN a major competitive advantage: The company offers a length option that very few of its competitors produce.
Alongside the new midibus, the experts in Munich also got to meet the third member of the family: the big Lion’s City 18 E, which brought the guests to the event using all-electric power.
We still have some work ahead of us, especially with regard to the charging infrastructure. Nevertheless, I believe that we will achieve the breakthrough of e-mobility in transportation before 2030. The technology, at least, is already working just fine. “
Buses are constantly adapted to meet customer requirements
The technology in eBuses is under constant development. MAN’s engineers and developers work closely with their customers to tailor their vehicles even better to the needs and wishes of the operators. For example, customers can specify the number of battery packs to suit their routes. While the Lion’s City 12 E comes with four, five or six packs as standard, customers can choose between six, seven and eight packs on the Lion’s City 18 E articulated bus. Since the middle of 2022, an optional efficient CO2 air-conditioning system has also been available for all Lion’s City E models.
Text: Boris Pieritz
Photos: MAN
