16 Oct 2024
A historic day for MAN: in mid-October, Friedrich Baumann, the member of the Executive Board responsible for sales, handed over the first eTruck to automotive supplier DRÄXLMAIER in Leipzig. It will be used to transport batteries for the electric Porsche Macan in the future.
Even a long-established company like MAN rarely experiences a day like this. With the handover of the first MAN eTGX to the DRÄXLMAIER Group, the commercial vehicle manufacturer is opening a new chapter in its history – because delivery of the new all-electric heavy-duty trucks to the first MAN customers is now beginning. ‘MAN presented the first diesel truck 100 years ago. Now we are entering a new electric era,’ says MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp. ’Our very first eTruck is going 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 the future, the MAN eTGX will transport batteries from the DRÄXLMAIER site to the Porsche plant in Leipzig with zero emissions – an average of 15.5 tonnes per trip. The distance is 4.5 kilometres. This is no problem for the electric truck, because the eTGX for DRÄXLMAIER has a gross battery capacity of 534 kWh. It also impresses with an innovative design and a fully digital driver's workplace, which was specially designed for the eTruck. With its charging capacity of up to 375 kW via CCS and a fifth-wheel height starting at 950 millimeters, the eTruck is setting new standards.
The eTGX is to be charged exclusively on the premises of the DRÄXLMAIER plant – with green electricity from renewable resources. Alexander Vlaskamp: ‘It doesn't get much more sustainable than that. This is a real electric success story.’
A total of three eTGX are to be used by DRÄXLMAIER – two more vehicles will follow by the end of 2024. ‘By using the MAN eTruck, we are achieving complete electrification for 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,’ says 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 supplying our customer with an eTruck in the future. The Leipzig battery plant is thus making a direct contribution to more sustainable logistics processes.’
DRÄXLMAIER is not purchasing the vehicle itself, but is commissioning the transport. The vehicle was purchased by Business Fleet Services (BFS), the largest MAN commercial vehicle rental company in Europe. BFS is renting the vehicle to Spedition Elflein, which will then operate the truck. ‘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,’ says Jan Plieninger, Managing Director of BFS. ’With the acquisition of the first MAN eTGX, we are once again demonstrating our pioneering role in forward-looking solutions for sustainable mobility.’
One unique feature of the MAN eTrucks is its ability to pull any trailer as the only truck in its class with the shortest wheelbase in its class and as a low-loader. 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 with a seventh* high-voltage battery that will be available in the future – without the need for recharging. The MAN eTGX and MAN eTGS are also available with the megawatt charging standard (MCS), which This makes it possible to recharge the vehicle from 10 to 80 percent battery capacity in about half an hour, making the MAN eTruck suitable for long-distance transport. The vehicles also make economic sense: depending on the country of use, the electric models are cheaper than conventional diesel trucks after just three to five years.
A total of more than 2,500 orders and order requests have already been received for the eTruck. Together with the eTGL, the eTruck's ‘little brother’ that was presented at the IAA 2024, MAN now offers its customers 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,’ said MAN Chief Sales Officer Friedrich Baumann.
Text: Christian Buck
Photos: MAN