MAN gears up for electric truck series production at new plant

MAN Truck and Bus has officially opened a new plant in Munich as a first step towards series production of electric trucks. 

The 4000 square metre MAN eMobility Centre is testing out battery-electric trucks under real-life conditions and also gives employees training on the next-generation technologies.

Bavarian state minister Hubert Aiwanger joined MAN Truck and Bus executive board chairman Andreas Tostmann and MAN Group works council chairman Saki Stimoniaris for the opening on June 9.

“Electromobility is the key technology for commercial vehicle transport of the future,” Tostmann says. 

“MAN is driving this progress forward together with our customers. With the opening of the MAN eMobility Centre in Munich, we are giving the starting signal to also go into series production with electric trucks in the future.

“The EU requires a CO2 reduction of 30% for trucks over 16 tons by 2030 compared to current levels. 

“We have resolved not only to react to this. We see this as an opportunity to assume social responsibility and to act in a sustainable manner in the long term. 

“With the eMobility Centre, MAN is taking another big step towards jobs of the future and CO2-free mobility,” he says. 

MAN currently has the battery-powered Lion’s City e-bus and the MAN eTGE van in widespread use as series production electric vehicles. 

The first electric truck, the MAN eTGM, has only been delivered to customers throughout Europe in small batches so far.

Aiwanger says companies like MAN can tackle a “massively growing market” in electromobility “which is in the interests of domestic jobs and the environment if it is tackled properly”. 

Increase in demand for electric trucks expected

E-mobility is becoming increasingly popular in the transportation sector and in passenger transport. While public transport companies in particular are already electrifying their bus fleets on a large scale, battery-powered trucks for distribution and long-haul transport have not become as prominent on the market over the same period of time. MAN says this is partly down to a lack of funding initiatives and essential commercial incentives.

However, the company expects the demand from transportation companies for electric trucks with zero local emissions to grow in the near future – partly due to climate policy requirements and CO2 pricing, but also due to increasingly cost-effective electric vehicle technology. 

The plan is to have all relevant skilled workers in the truck production department in Munich qualified in the serial production of electric trucks by end of 2023.

Improving the future-oriented skills of employees

Stimoniaris says the training programme at the eMobility Centre is an important step in securing the future viability of MAN. 

“We want the commercial vehicle traffic of the future to be made up of climate-neutral vehicles. 

“For that reason, the opening of the MAN eMobility Centre is a strategically important step for the future of our company and for safeguarding jobs. 

“Even with the arrival of new technologies, employees are MAN’s greatest asset, which is why vocational training and continuous professional development are the keys to success. 

“With the skills of our MAN employees, it will be possible to manufacture these technologies successfully in the years to come,” Stimoniaris says.