The Lion's Coach 14 E celebrated its world premiere at Busworld Europe in Brussels. Optimised aerodynamics and powerful battery packs enable a range of up to 650 kilometres.
Our eCoach heralds a new era of emission-free and low-noise travel that many customers have been waiting for. We are delighted to be at the forefront of this development and to be putting such a dynamic and innovative bus on the road. “
This is a real milestone. It is the first time that an electric bus has received this award. We are, of course, incredibly proud of this “
Awarded "Sustainable Bus of the Year 2026"
And fittingly for its world premiere, it has already received its first award: the MAN Lion’s Coach 14 E is “Sustainable Bus of the Year 2026”! The new eCoach impressed the jury of international trade journalists at the Sustainable Bus Awards (Sby), who presented it with the prestigious award in the "Coach" category. "This is a real milestone. It is the first time that an electric bus has received this award. We are, of course, incredibly proud of this," says Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN.
The jury presented the award to the MAN Lion's Coach 14 E because the eCoach sets technological standards for sustainable coach travel. However, the jury particularly highlighted the sustainability aspect: the model achieves a recycling rate of over 95 per cent of its components, is manufactured in plants certified to international environmental standards and has responsible life cycle management of its batteries.
"Over the past two years, we have won the award in the intercity and city bus categories with our MAN Lion's City 12 E LE and Lion's City 10 E. This year, our MAN Lion's Coach 14 E impressed the jury and prevailed over the competition," explains Heinz Kiess, Head of Product Marketing Bus, adding: "This underlines our leading position in the field of e-buses – and we are very pleased about that."
Proven drive technology from the eTruck
For the new eCoach, MAN is using proven drive technology from the successfully series-produced eTruck and innovative NMC battery packs with a capacity of 320 to 480 kWh, which have been in large-scale production at the Nuremberg plant since 2025. In the first development stage, this enables ranges of up to 650 kilometres. For this reason, the MAN Lion's Coach E will initially be used primarily on short and medium-distance routes – from shuttle services and factory transport to city trips and exclusive tourism offers with growing sustainability requirements.
Thanks to a CCS charging capacity of up to 375 kilowatts in conjunction with statutory driving and rest times, the eCoach already enables similar application profiles to a diesel bus. As soon as the megawatt charging infrastructure with up to 750 kW is available nationwide in the future, the areas of application will expand significantly towards long-distance travel – even without daily recharging.
State-of-the-art safety and assistance systems
The MAN Lion's Coach 14 E is not only one of the most climate-friendly coaches of our time, but also one of the safest. New safety and assistance systems such as the latest EBA+ emergency brake assist with pedestrian detection, AttentionGuard, active Lane Return Assist and speed limit detection ensure maximum safety.
A real milestone is the new MAN SafeStop Assist, which is offered as standard in conjunction with ACC Stop & Go or MAN Traffic Jam Assist: if the driver is no longer able to act, SafeStop Assist initiates an emergency stop, braking the bus to a standstill in its own lane if possible. Emergency lighting and hazard warning lights are activated automatically.
No restrictions on the number of seats
The Lion's Coach 14 E also leaves nothing to be desired in terms of space: up to 63 passengers can travel in comfort and quiet, with a total of between 11 and 13 cubic metres of luggage space available, depending on the number of battery packs – equivalent to around 180 to 215 litres per passenger. There are no restrictions on the number of seats compared to the diesel counterpart.
Inside the Lion's Coach 14 E, subtle accents in the typical blue colour adorn the cockpit, front cabinet and barriers. The digital instruments in the cockpit provide the driver with clearly legible information on range, energy consumption, recuperation and battery status at all times – and playfully motivate them to drive efficiently. "The cockpit's absolute driver orientation, as well as the advanced assistance systems, ensure greater comfort and safety," emphasises Heinz Kiess, Head of Product Marketing Bus at MAN Truck & Bus.
Text: Christian Buck
Photos: MAN
