MAN Truck & Bus (part Traton, which is part of the Volkswagen Group), already has introduced a few electric vehicle models (buses, trucks and vans), but the electrification needs to reach scale.
According to MAN CEO Dr. Andreas Tostmann, the transition to battery-electric vehicles will start in 2024.
In Handelsblatt's interview (via Electrek), Andreas Tostmann said that for 2024 the company plans series production of electric trucks with a range of 500 km (311 miles).
That's a lot more than in the case of the current MAN eTGM truck, which can go up to 200 km (124 miles) on a single charge.
MAN eTGM specs:
- 26-tonne truck
- range of up to 200 km (124 miles)
- battery capacity - not disclosed
- electric drive output: 264 kW (360 hp) and 3,100 Nm
- AC charging - three-phase 22-44 kW
- DC charging - up to 150 kW
At a later point, the company intends to achieve a range of 700-1,000 km (435-622 miles), which would be truly impressive.
An interesting note from MAN is that the company's CEO prefers battery-electric vehicles over hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, specifically from the viability perspective.
“Cost parity with diesel can be achieved more quickly with an electric drive than with a fuel cell.”
The transition to electric vehicles is inevitable and other manufacturers are also moving in a similar direction. In the bus segment, nine out of 10 new city buses will be electric by 2030 in Europe, according to the forecast.
Currently, MAN offers MAN Lion City E electric buses in 12m and 18m articulated versions.
Additionally, the company offers MAN eTGE, based on the Volkswagen e-Crafter.
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