ELECTRIFYING EUROPE AND NOW CROWNED BEST BUS
The MAN Lion’s City 12 E made an impressive appearance at the “Bus Euro Test” in Limerick, Ireland, and did so from the very first minute. After all, the all-electric city bus had completed the roughly 2.500-kilometer journey from Germany to Ireland on its own wheels.
After an intensive week of testing with numerous driver experiences and long technical discussions, the verdict was clearly in favor of the MAN Lion’s City 12 E as the new “Bus of the Year 2023“. The 23 European trade journalists were particularly impressed by the overall concept of the city bus, which scores points for its range, reliability, comfort and, above all, sustainability.
MAN Lion’s City 12 E Bus of the Year 2023 — Source: MAN Truck & Bus
«The new MAN Lion’s City 12 E has a ground-breaking design, high grade of comfort and a very quiet area inside. The drivers cabin is one of the best on the marked and with high grade of safety. MAN has focused on electric mobility from the first drawing and to a real product. In that way everything fits together and is not a “diesel bus converted to electric”. The International Bus & Coach of the Year Jury had a positive feeling from the first test drive and up to the decision that MAN Lion’s City 12 E is the Bus of the Year 2023», said jury president Tom Terjesen.
The award was presented by Tom Terjesen to Rudi Kuchta as part of the “Stars of the Year” event hosted by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) to mark the opening of IAA Transportation 2022 in Hanover.
Another chapter in the success story
The “Bus of the Year” award has been presented for three decades now. It is considered the most important international prize in the bus industry. «We are all the more proud that our MAN Lion’s City E was so well received by the expert jury and that we are now receiving this prestigious award», says Kuchta, adding: «The award impressively demonstrates the outstanding work done by the entire MAN team. At the same time, it is an outstanding further chapter in the success story of our MAN Lion’s City E».
Tom Terjesen delivering the award to Rudi Kuchta — Source: MAN Truck & Bus
This began in 2020, when the electric city bus went into series production. It is now on the road day after day in many European countries, generating enthusiasm among bus operators and drivers as well as experts and passengers.
One of the reasons for this is that the experts at MAN Truck & Bus are continuously working on the further development and improvement of the all-electric Lion’s City E. Their aim is to use sophisticated technology to improve the bus. Their goal: to provide public transport operators with the best possible support in their daily work with sophisticated technology and individual solutions.
To enable them to perfectly adapt their eBus to future use, MAN offers, among other things, two battery usage strategies for the Lion’s City E: In addition to the “Reliable Range” strategy (up to 270 km range), there is also the “Maximum Range” strategy for ranges up to 350 km. In addition, the new CO2 air conditioning system and improved heating circuit ensure even greater efficiency.
Tom Terjesen and Rudi Kuchta — Source: MAN Truck & Bus
Also new are the modular batteries. This means that electric bus customers will be able to specify the number of battery packs from this fall. This means that the all-electric city bus can be even better adapted to individual customer needs and requirements in terms of range and passenger capacity.
MAN also offers its customers a number of alternatives in terms of size. For example, the Lion’s City E is now also available as a short midibus version measuring 10,5m, which has one of the largest battery capacities in the segment. Thanks to its record-breaking turning circle and compact dimensions, it is the ideal solution for narrow city centers and busy pedestrian zones in particular. The midibus thus completes MAN’s electric bus range, which now consists of 10,5-m, 12,2-m and 18,1-m vehicles.