MAN has begun series production of MAN electric trucks at the Munich plant. From now on, both electric and diesel trucks will be produced in a fully integrated mixed production process on the same line.

The E-Powerpack is assembled in a separate pre-assembly line close to the assembly line. Among other things, it consists of two battery units, the HV distributor and the air conditioning compressor. The task of the Powerpack is to provide energy (electricity) for the electric drive unit, air conditioning, heating, coolant or power steering and to drive any auxiliary units that may be present.

The entire MAN team is proud to be actively shaping the transformation from diesel to electric drive. Our highly efficient electric trucks will make locally emission-free freight transport a reality. This is an enormously important step towards achieving our goal of becoming CO₂-neutral by 2050. The fact that we can manufacture the electric trucks on the same production line as our state-of-the-art diesel trucks also gives us enormous flexibility and increases production efficiency.

We have invested almost 400 million euros in research and development to be able to offer our conventional truck product portfolio with battery-electric drive as well. The range extends from 12 to 50 tonnes and covers everything from refuse collection vehicles to long-haul trucks. We have done our homework.

We aim to deliver the first 1,000 electric trucks by the end of the year. Politicians must now set the right course with regard to infrastructure expansion and CO₂ pricing so that the ramp-up in e-mobility continues to gain momentum.

—MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp

Maximum production capacity at MAN’s main plant currently stands at around 100 trucks per day, regardless of the drive type. It takes around eight hours to manufacture a truck.

Before starting series production, MAN has already manufactured almost 200 electric pre-series trucks and delivered them to customers. These vehicles have already clocked up around two million kilometers in real customer use on European roads—some with daily journeys of up to 850 kilometers and very low consumption of 97 kWh per 100 kilometers on average. MAN has already received around 700 orders for electric trucks.

The e-truck is particularly attractive for use in automotive logistics, among other things, as the Ultra-Lowliner semi-trailer tractor is unique on the market with its fifth-wheel height of just 950 mm and a wheelbase of 3.75 meters. This means that fully electric transport with an internal loading height of three meters is also possible. The electric Ultra Lowliner is already in use in Wolfsburg and Bavaria for automotive supply in various route profiles.

Another advantage of the eTruck is its three to six modular NMC batteries, which come from the MAN plant in Nuremberg and offer a total gross capacity of up to 534 kWh. This means that up to 500 kilometers can be covered without recharging. For even greater ranges, there is even an optional seventh battery, which makes it possible to drive up to 740 kilometers on battery power without recharging.