MAN TRUCK & BUS STARTS A BIG STEP TOWARDS ZERO EMISSIONS
MAN Truck & Bus is stepping up the pace in the transition to zero-emission commercial vehicles: production of heavy-duty eTrucks in Munich will start as early as the beginning of 2024.
MAN is accelerating its transformation and taking big steps towards zero-emission drive systems: under the motto “The Future starts now – We pave the road to Zero Emission”, the Munich-based commercial vehicle manufacturer presented a near-series electric truck in Nuremberg and gave the go-ahead for an important hydrogen project for the future.
The MAN electric’s prototype truck in Nuremberg — Source: MT&B
First e-Trucks as early as the beginning of 2024
The focus of research and development at MAN remains battery-electric drives. They will power the heavy eTrucks that the company will be launching on the market as early as 2024 – almost a year earlier than originally planned. But at the right time: MAN assumes that demand for eTrucks will really pick up then. In two years’ time, the first 200 electric trucks will therefore roll off the production line at MAN’s main e-mobility plant in Munich. MAN also wants to increase the depth of added value for battery-electric commercial vehicles and set up its own assembly of battery packs for this purpose.
In Nuremberg, MAN showed its future eTruck for the first time, which can cover most applications in the transport sector. «Shortly before the middle of the decade, the total cost of ownership for heavy electric and diesel trucks will be the same in many European countries», said MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp at the event. «In battery technology we expect big leaps – with ranges of up to 1.000 km in the next few years and charging times of well under an hour. This will finally make this type of drive suitable for long-distance transport and ready for the mass market.»
Vehicle batteries are a central component on the road to zero-emission drives. This is why MAN began building up its own expertise in the assembly of battery packs as early as spring 2021. The nucleus for this is the eMobility Technical Centre at the Nuremberg site, where the first battery packs for e-vehicle testing and internal tests are being produced individually.
In addition, the development of a charging infrastructure is crucial for the transformation of the transport industry. The TRATON Group, the parent company of MAN Truck & Bus, will also make a contribution to this: the international commercial vehicle company is participating in the development of a high-performance charging network in Europe as part of a joint venture.
Hubert Aiwanger (Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs), Alexander Vlaskamp (CEO of MAN Truck & Bus), Markus Söder (Minister President of Bavaria) and Frederik Zohm (CTO of MAN Truck & Bus) (from the left to the right) in front of the prototype — Source: MT&B
The “Bavarian Fleet” picks up speed
MAN also anticipates the use of hydrogen-powered trucks in selected areas of application, such as heavy goods transport over long distances. This is why the company is building up further expertise in the field of hydrogen technology – with the support of the state of Bavaria: it is funding the “Bavarian Fleet” research project as part of its own hydrogen strategy to the tune of 8,5 million euros, thus accelerating the development of expertise.
As part of the project, MAN is developing a fuel cell truck together with industry partners Bosch, Faurecia and ZF. The first vehicles will be delivered to the five customers BayWa, DB Schenker, GRESS Spedition, Rhenus Logistics and Spedition Dettendorfer in mid-2024, where they will be tested in real-life operation for one year.
With the funding decision by Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder and Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger in mid-February, the project is picking up speed. «Politicians, who know our long development cycles, are acting very far-sightedly by supporting our research into hydrogen», says Vlaskamp. «This is particularly welcome and at the same time it is a strong signal and a clear commitment to our location in Nuremberg and to MAN.»
Source: Man Truck & Bus