Already marketing lighter weight trucks, MAN Truck & Bus is now starting to deliver its fully electric heavy-duty trucks. In Leipzig, the very first 40-tonne truck was handed over to automotive supplier DRÄXLMAIER Group. The company 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 commented, ‘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.’
DRÄXLMAIER will not purchase the vehicle itself but will commission the transport. The vehicle is being bought 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.’
The Duty Cycle
The distance between the DRÄXLMAIER location and the customer’s plant in Leipzig is only 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 Specification
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.