MAN eTruck to go on sale as early as the end of October

The commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus is advancing its electrification strategy with the launch of the MAN eTruck. According to the company's information, the sales launch of the new electric truck is expected in initial markets by the end of October, with the delivery of the first vehicles to selected customers planned for 2024.

A crucial role in this strategic shift is played by the MAN site in Nuremberg. The foundation stone for the new battery building M50 was recently laid here. From 2025, large-scale production of up to 100,000 high-voltage batteries per year is to start here. These batteries are not only intended for the new eTruck but also for other electric vehicles of the company, such as city buses. The investment in battery production at the site, including new buildings and infrastructure, amounts to around 100 million euros. Additionally, 350 new jobs will be created on the 16,000 square meter site.

"The mobility transition towards electrically powered road freight transport is changing the entire industry in an unprecedented way. MAN is actively shaping the change. Our transformation into a provider of sustainable and intelligent transport solutions is visible throughout the company – especially here in Nuremberg. With the efficient realignment of the company and the sustainable conversion of the entire production network, we have made a big leap towards the future in the last two years. The market launch of our new MAN eTruck this October is an essential milestone, and batteries from Nuremberg are the key enabler for its large-scale production from 2025 onwards," said Michael Kobriger, MAN's Production Board Member.

In parallel, MAN is strengthening its research and development activities in electromobility. The Nuremberg site has already expanded its competencies in the development and production of high-voltage battery packs since 2020. To further deepen the know-how, the company has established partnerships with local universities such as the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and the Nuremberg Institute of Technology Georg Simon Ohm. As part of this collaboration, the "Campus Future Driveline" was inaugurated at the beginning of 2023, where projects in the fields of batteries, hydrogen combustion engines, and fuel cells are being carried out.

Deployment in own logistics

To ensure the practical suitability of electric trucks, MAN founded LoadFox Transport Solutions GmbH in December 2022. This subsidiary tests and optimizes the new technology in real-life operations on the key routes of internal factory logistics. The first fully electric MAN eTrucks are already in use and connect German locations such as Munich, Dachau, Nuremberg, and Salzgitter. From 2024, LoadFox plans to increasingly integrate autonomous driving functions into logistic practices.

“By systematically collecting data and experiences in practical applications, we can significantly speed up the development and quality checks of hardware and software for future products and services with LoadFox,” explains Florian Hagemann, Managing Director of LoadFox GmbH.