A new era begins today at MAN Truck & Bus: the company is starting to deliver its fully electric heavy-duty trucks. In Leipzig, the very first 40-tonne truck was handed over by MAN Board Member for Sales, Friedrich Baumann, to automotive supplier DRÄXLMAIER Group. In future, DRÄXLMAIER will use the MAN eTGX to transport batteries for the Porsche Macan Electric to the Porsche plant in Leipzig, with zero emissions.
MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp: ‘This is a milestone in our company’s history. MAN presented the first diesel truck 100 years ago. Now we are entering a new electric era. Our very first eTruck goes to DRÄXLMAIER. We are very pleased about the trust in MAN. After years of planning, development and many tens of thousands of kilometres of test drives, we are finally getting started.’
In future, the MAN eTGX will transport batteries for automotive supplier DRÄXLMAIER to the Porsche plant in Leipzig with zero emissions. The eTruck will be charged with electricity from renewable resources on the DRÄXLMAIER site. Alexander Vlaskamp: ‘It doesn’t get much more sustainable than that. This is a real electric success story.’
Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Porsche Executive Board for Production and Logistics, said: ‘We are pleased that the supply of the Macan production in Leipzig is being expanded to include this innovative e-truck from MAN. The MAN eTGX proves that even large components such as battery modules can be transported electrically in large quantities’.
‘By using the MAN eTruck, we are realising complete electrification to our customer and reaffirming our commitment to making logistics processes more sustainable and future-oriented. In doing so, we are fulfilling a central aspect of our understanding of sustainability: reducing emissions in the supply chain,’ said Felix Klimas, Head of Supply Chain Management at the DRÄXLMAIER Group. Karsten Wilhelm, Site Manager at DRÄXLMAIER Leipzig, adds: ‘We are proud that we will be delivering to our customer with an eTruck in the future. The Leipzig battery plant is thus making a direct contribution to more sustainable logistics processes.’
DRÄXLMAIER will not purchase the vehicle itself, but will commission the transport. The vehicle is being purchased by Business Fleet Services (BFS), the largest MAN commercial vehicle rental company in Europe. BFS will rent the vehicle to Spedition Elflein, which will then operate the truck. Jan Plieninger, Managing Director of BFS: ‘As the largest rental company for MAN commercial vehicles in Europe, we are very pleased to be part of this historic milestone and to usher in the new electric era together with MAN and our customers. With the acquisition of the first MAN eTGX, we are once again demonstrating our pioneering role in forward-looking solutions for sustainable mobility.’
Stefanie Kotschenreuther, Managing Director of Elflein: ‘We are delighted to be the first transport and logistics service provider to use the new MAN eTruck. This step underlines our commitment to sustainable transport solutions. E-trucks will make a further important contribution to the decarbonisation of the logistics industry. What’s more, the MAN eTGX is simply fun to drive, impressing with its excellent handling and controllability, outstanding power delivery and low noise levels.’
The project
The distance between the DRÄXLMAIER location and the customer’s plant in Leipzig is about five kilometres. The truck transports an average of 15.5 tonnes. Two more vehicles are to follow by the end of the year, so that a total of three MAN eTGX will be in use for DRÄXLMAIER.
The vehicle
The MAN eTGX used for DRÄXLMAIER has 450 HP (330 kW), a battery capacity of 534 kWh (of which 480 kWh can be used) with six battery packs, an innovative design and a fully digital driver’s workplace that has been specially designed for the eTruck. It has a charging capacity of up to 375 kW via CCS and, as a low-loader, a fifth-wheel height of 950 mm. MAN is the only manufacturer to produce an electric low-loader semitrailer tractor, also known as an ultra-tractor, as standard. Thanks to its particularly low fifth-wheel height, it can tow trailers with an interior height of three metres and thus transport significantly more volume. This is particularly interesting for the automotive industry, which often has to transport lightweight but large-volume parts. In addition, the MAN eTruck offers the shortest wheelbase in its class, making it compatible with all types of trailer.
Complete portfolio
The most powerful version of the MAN eTruck available has 544 HP (400 kW) and, depending on the application, can achieve a range of around 650 kilometres without recharging when equipped with a seventh* high-voltage battery that will be available in the future. The MAN eTGX and MAN eTGS are also available with the megawatt charging standard (MCS), which will in future allow charging capacities of one megawatt and more. This makes it possible to recharge the vehicle from 10 to 80 percent battery capacity in around half an hour. This makes the MAN eTruck suitable for long-distance transport.
A total of more than 2,500 orders and order enquiries have already been received for the eTruck. ‘Together with the eTGL, the eTruck’s ‘little brother’, which will be presented at the IAA 2024, MAN now offers a complete portfolio of electric trucks from 12 to 50 tonnes. ‘We expect that by 2030, around half of all MAN trucks delivered will be battery-electric,’ says MAN Chief Sales Officer Friedrich Baumann.
* Available only as a chassis version; the seventh battery can be installed by MAN Individual.
SOURCE: MAN Truck & Bus
