MAN Campus Future Driveline: Business and academia research batteries and fuel cells

Connecting the economy with science and utilizing synergies - this is the goal of the Campus Future Driveline, which MAN Bus & Truck inaugurated yesterday at its plant in Nuremberg. In addition to the commercial vehicle manufacturer, the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and the Nuremberg Institute of Technology Georg Simon Ohm (Ohm) are also involved. Together, they will use their existing infrastructure at the current locations and create new laboratories. In the summer of 2022, the first students from Ohm moved into their workplaces at the MAN plant. The renovation of the laboratories started at the beginning of 2022.

They want to develop ideas together to give new momentum to the transformation, said Ulrich Zimmer, Vice President at MAN responsible for drivetrain production, at the opening of the Campus Future Driveline. The Franconian metropolis is still the location where “the most efficient diesel engines” are and have been produced, added CEO Alexander Vlaskamp. Now, with scientific support, the “most economical battery packs, fuel cells, and electric motors for our customers” are to be developed and produced. Vlaskamp is convinced that alternative drive systems will gradually conquer the market in the coming years. By 2030, MAN’s e-trucks should account for half of sales. “Nuremberg will play a key role in this,” says Vlaskamp. Both hydrogen technology and battery manufacturing are located at the site. In this context, the Campus Future Driveline should also be seen. The commercial vehicle chief is hoping for a tailwind for the transformation from the integration of business and science on one site, which he sees as absolutely necessary.

“We need to pick up the pace,” he said with regard to the fight against climate change.

A challenge that the commercial vehicle sector is by no means looking to avoid. It is already in the midst of transformation. Vlaskamp expects politicians to create conditions that enable this transformation. This includes the expansion of the charging infrastructure as well as a suitable regulatory framework. In this context, Vlaskamp explicitly opposes any further tightening of the emission standard by Euro VII. To implement this, money would have to be invested in "outdated technology". A fact that Vlaskamp does not find conducive. He probably also wishes for more listening from the politicians:

"We will only master the transformation if we all pull together: business, science, and politics."

At least in terms of communication with the scientific community, the Nuremberg Campus project is certainly a step forward. Five test stands for joint research on fuel cells and batteries have already been set up and put into operation. They are expected to reach eight in the future. A materials laboratory is also under construction. By renting out spaces on the Nuremberg factory site to Ohm, those involved have achieved a particularly sustainable use of existing resources, as Ohm had been looking for new spaces for its students for some time. The symbiotic use of the spaces freed up by MAN in buildings A3, A5, and A8 represents a win-win situation. Before the Campus Future Driveline moved in, MAN used the premises for the development of natural gas and diesel engines. Now, PhD students, master's students, and scientists are researching batteries and fuel cells here. They work closely with MAN employees. Jointly, research projects are supervised and results are discussed. The declared goal of intensive exchange: to fertilize each other.As Dr. Frederik Zohm, the MAN board member responsible for research and development, puts it:

"We need every initiative that helps to decarbonize our world."

MAN is more than ready to make its contribution. By 2030, 130,000 battery sets for trucks are to be built annually in Nuremberg.

"We are investing in the future," Zohm makes clear. 

Prof. Dr. Niels Oberbeck, president of the Technical University Georg Simon Ohm, also speaks of many advantages:

"Through our application-oriented research, we can not only successfully help shape this transformation, which is so important for our region, but also further develop our education: Our students gain insights into content and new technologies that would not be possible without the cooperation of companies, universities, and colleges."

And Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger, president of FAU, explains:

"Without new and above all sustainable forms of mobility, the traffic turnaround will not succeed. Close cooperation between science and industry is essential for this. In recent years, scientists at FAU have made significant contributions to research in the field of innovative transport technologies, just as students have engaged with the topic in various study programs. The Campus Future Driveline brings MAN, FAU, and THN, three important regional partners, even closer together."