Electric lion on an icy mission

Most lions prefer warmer climes. But not MAN electric lions. They can handle any weather – even the snow and ice at the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden, where they started an unusual trip through Europe on 20th March. A MAN eTGX took on the challenge of travelling 3,400 kilometres from the far north to the Allianz Arena in Munich. The aim was for the “polar express” to show not only how well it can handle the harsh conditions in Sweden but also whether this kind of journey was possible using the existing charging infrastructure.

The eTGX was to complete the trip in seven legs: from the Arctic Circle along the east coast of Sweden to Stockholm, from there through the country’s interior to Malmö in the south, then on to Copenhagen and through Denmark to Hamburg, then via Schweinfurt and through the length of Germany in one go to the finish point in Munich. It was also planned that it would make a longer stop at the MAN site in Copenhagen to visit the service and sales team there. Alongside MAN ProfiDrive trainers, the influencers André Brockschmidt (Bauforum24) and Christina Scheib (Trucker Babes), who are well-known in the truck scene, also tagged along on some legs of the trip.

Polar Express in Munich – mission accomplished!

MAN too was unreservedly impressed by the unusual trip through Europe. “The aim of the MAN Polar Express was to show that it is already possible to complete the trip from the Arctic Circle to Munich fully electrically with the new MAN eTruck and the existing public charging infrastructure,” said Friedrich Baumann, Executive Board Member for Sales & Customer Solutions at MAN Truck & Bus. “Now we can say ‘Mission accomplished!’. The vehicle technology and countless helpful solutions, such as MAN Charge&Go, are ready and waiting to make it easier for our customers to make the switch from diesel to electric trucks.” Yet there is still a lot to be done in Europe. To turn the electrification of long-haul trucking into a reality, big investments in the further expansion of the high-performance charging infrastructure are required.

In Munich, MAN and FC Bayern Munich are showing what this looks like in practice. On the southern bus car park of the Allianz Arena, a total of 30 high-performance and megawatt charging stations for buses and trucks are to be created in three planned expansion stages. This will enable up to 500 vehicles to be charged each day. The location is ideal, because the stadium is situated right beside the busy Munich North motorway junction and has its own motorway entry/exit. Up to 10,000 trucks a day pass through this transport hub, which is important for all European road haulage traffic. That’s why the Allianz Arena was the perfect place to celebrate the end of the Polar Express’ trip. FC Bayern Munich legend Giovane Élber greeted the team, saying “Welcome home. What a trip! It’s unbelievable what MAN’s fully electric trucks can do.”