MAN Truck & Bus and ABB E-mobility have signed an exclusive cooperation agreement. The aim of the strategic partnership is to work even more closely together, particularly in the area of development.

Cooperation in the area of research and development is rather rare in our industry. Together with ABB E-mobility, we are striving for a trusting, binding and transparent partnership. We are already starting with the development of products and standards and are focusing on the special requirements of the commercial vehicle industry.

—Thomas Nickels, Senior Vice President Engineering at MAN

The new MAN eTruck next to an ABB E-mobility charging station

The importance of cross-industry cooperation for the entire sector is particularly evident for megawatt charging system (MCS), Nickels said.

Challenges with MCS include the ISO15118-20 communication standard and new ways of transmitting signals. The basis for megawatt charging is Ethernet communication, which is being used for the first time in electromobility.

Early software and interoperability tests with vehicles and charging stations should help to establish reliable products as quickly as possible in an emerging market environment. The cooperation, which is initially scheduled to run for three years, is focusing on the customer experience right from the start, in addition to the internal development and further development of charging stations, vehicles and software.

The market needs an ecosystem that interlocks and works reliably. That’s why we want to jointly develop a concept for the interaction of MCS and CCS that addresses issues such as space, energy supply and grid expansion. MAN’s extensive expertise helps us to develop customer-oriented solutions - both for use in the depot and on the track.

—Floris van de Klashorst, Senior Vice President Products & Hardware Platforms at ABB E-mobility