The first limited edition models of the new MAN eTruck for 2024 are already sold out, apart from a very small number of vehicles. A total of 700 orders and order requests have been received, the majority of which are for large-scale production, which will start at the MAN plant in Munich in 2025.
Trucks with diesel and battery-electric drives will then be manufactured on the same assembly line, which will allow the greatest possible flexibility depending on the demand situation. The plan is for half of all new MAN trucks delivered in Europe to be electrically powered by 2030.
“We are delighted that the new MAN electric truck has been so well received by our customers right from the start. The unique, modular battery concept, which offers the right compromise between range and payload for every application and enables all common types of superstructures, certainly contributes to this. The right vehicles for the drive turnaround in road freight transport are therefore here and will be rolling out to the first customers this year! Both the commercial vehicle industry and large parts of the logistics sector are ready to make a decisive contribution to the fight against climate change. However, we urgently need the right public charging infrastructure so that CO2-neutral freight transport on the road can pick up speed and customers are not disillusioned by the initial euphoria”, demands Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus.
“As part of the TRATON GROUP, MAN, together with the Volvo Group and Daimler Truck, is already involved in the Milence joint venture, which aims to set up at least 1700 high-performance and megawatt charging points for commercial vehicles across Europe. However, we need at least 50,000 charging points in Europe by 2030 in order to make a consistent transition. All players from politics and the energy sector are therefore now called upon to work together to achieve this important contribution to the climate targets”, Vlaskamp continued.
The new MAN eTGX and MAN eTGS are characterized by a high degree of variability in battery configuration with a choice of three to six battery packs. This means that the optimum vehicle configuration in terms of range, payload and charging time can be selected for every application characteristic – from supermarket deliveries in the city center, to regional building materials supply, to long-distance transport in production logistics.
With six battery packs, two of which are installed under the cab and up to four more on the side of the vehicle frame, the eTGX and eTGS offer up to 480 kWh of usable battery capacity for daily ranges of up to 800 kilometers. In addition to the CCS standard with up to 375 kW, MAN has been offering the even more powerful megawatt charging standard (MCS) for fast intermediate charging during breaks from driving, which will initially enable 750 kW and, in a later expansion stage, even more than one megawatt of charging power.
Together with payload and body-friendly positioning of the drive unit, the modular battery concept of the MAN eTGX and MAN eTGS also offers a high degree of variability for a wide range of bodies, as well as very short wheelbases from 3.75 meters, which allows the tractor unit to be combined with all common semi-trailer variants within the permissible overall length specifications. This also makes volume variants for three-meter internal loading heights possible, which are often in demand in production logistics.
Even before purchasing a new eTruck, MAN supports customers with its 360-degree eMobility Consulting. In addition to advice on the most suitable vehicle, this also includes consideration of customer-specific operating conditions, including cost optimization, route analysis, fleet optimization and, building on this, the necessary advice on charging infrastructure. Additional support is provided by digital tools such as the new MAN eReadyCheck, which customers can use to check how their delivery routes can be driven purely electrically, or the MAN eManager, which fleet managers can use to keep an eye on the important information on the charging status of all trucks in the fleet at all times. MAN also has its own charging infrastructure offering for customers in its portfolio through partnerships with charging infrastructure manufacturers such as ABB, Heliox and SBRS. The service page offers service contracts and financing solutions for the new MAN eTrucks that are specially tailored to electromobility.
