The decarbonisation of freight transport, the digitalisation of logistics and the worsening shortage of truck drivers pose fundamental challenges for transport companies. MAN Truck & Bus will be providing answers to these questions at the IAA Transportation 2022 and shaping the change: in conventional products with even lower consumption, even more workplace attractiveness and comfort for drivers as well as even more innovative digital services; for future CO2-free and intelligently networked transport with the development of autonomous vehicles and the market launch of the purely electric large-series truck from 2024, which MAN will be showing for the first time in Hanover as a trade fair premiere in front of a large audience as a near-series prototype. With a daily range of up to 800 kilometres and megawatt charging capability, the new eTruck will not only electrify long-distance transport, but with its versatility also all common transport segments covered by diesel trucks today. Its production with conventional trucks on a series production line makes the switch from diesel to electric particularly flexible. Together with comprehensive advice on electromobility and charging infrastructure, MAN thus makes it much easier for transport companies to switch to CO2-free drives.
The change towards sustainable, climate-neutral mobility is taking place ever faster, also and especially in the transport industry. That is why MAN is focusing on the three megatrends accompanying the change at this year’s IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hall 12, StandC20: Zero emissions for the CO2-free transport of goods by road, digitalisation for the optimal integration of trucks into transport processes and autonomous driving for more safety and efficiency, a targeted use of the scarce resource of driving personnel and the intelligent climate-friendly combination of different modes of transport. But actively shaping this transformation also means remaining innovative with conventional products. “With even less fuel consumption, an even greater focus on driver needs, and useful digital services such as automatic truck payment at the petrol station, we are simplifying our customers’ day-to-day business. We are making our production more flexible and building our future heavy eTruck on a production line with conventional vehicles, so that we can produce electrified or diesel-powered trucks for our customers, depending on their wishes. Our new eTruck will cover all areas of application when production starts, whether for regional distribution of organic milk or long-distance transport of green steel. We accompany our customers in the changeover to e-mobility as closely as possible based on our many years of expertise in the field of e-buses and e-vans as well as our electric eTGM in distribution transport,” says Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, explaining the manufacturer’s approach on the road to sustainable climate-neutral transport.
MAN eTruck
The focus of MAN’s trade fair presentation is the near-series prototype of the new MAN eTruck, which will go into service with the first customers from 2024. A special technical feature of the pioneering electric lion is its preparation for future megawatt charging: high charging capacities with short charging times make the electric truck suitable for heavy-duty long-distance transport with daily ranges of between 600 and 800 kilometres, and at a later date even up to 1000 kilometres. Together with low operating costs and the best energy balance, battery electric vehicles offer the most suitable technology for future CO2-free commercial vehicle fleets. In terms of application diversity and possible body concepts, the future MAN eTruck is in no way inferior to today’s diesel truck: the CO2-free long-distance transport of refrigerated food will be just as possible with it as low-noise and exhaust-free waste disposal in the city or the fully electric transport of materials to the construction site.
Zero emission: holistic approach to the conversion to electric
For a successful fleet conversion from diesel to electric, a holistic analysis of customer needs is necessary long before the purchase of an electric truck. This is why MAN eMobility Consulting, which MAN is presenting for the first time at the IAA for the upcoming electric truck, includes not only advice on the vehicle but also consideration of customer-specific operating conditions such as operating phases including cost optimisation, route analysis, fleet optimisation and, building on this, the necessary advice on the charging infrastructure. Digital tools such as the new MAN eReadyCheck, which customers can use from the IAA onwards to check how their delivery routes can be driven purely electrically, or the MAN eManager, which fleet managers can use to keep an eye on the important charging information of all the trucks in the fleet, provide support here. These are part of the eSolutions presented by MAN Transport Solutions at the trade fair, which will also feature various charging infrastructure partners.
Digitisation: useful helpers in everyday transport operations
In the area of digitalisation, MAN is providing an overview of the already extensive existing digital services at the IAA and an outlook on upcoming digital services. With MAN Now, the map material for navigation can already be updated and driving functions such as MAN EfficientCruise or mission-specific driving programmes can be uploaded to the vehicle over the air.
Workshop work can be carried out quickly and easily with the digital maintenance management system MAN ServiceCare, and the online efficiency monitoring system MAN Perform helps to ensure that the truck is always fuel-efficient. At the IAA, MAN is also presenting a new digital payment system for the first time, which makes it much easier for drivers to visit the filling station and for fleet managers to keep track of fuel costs.
Automation: towards autonomous hub-to-hub transport
Alongside CO2-free drives, autonomous driving is an essential lever for the transformation to sustainable freight transport. The advantages: fewer accidents due to human error, more flexibility and efficiency by detaching transport processes from statutory driving and rest times, and a reduction in unattractive driving tasks on long distances in favour of more demanding and varied driving activities in urban and regional transport for the few drivers still available.
At the IAA, MAN is using various current practical projects to explain the continuous development steps from autonomous driving on closed terrain to fully autonomous driving on the motorway between logistics hubs: The ANITA project is developing the autonomous delivery and pick-up of containers in a road-rail transhipment terminal of the cooperation partner Deutsche Bahn, through which the transhipment process, and thus climate-friendly combined transport, should significantly increase in performance. The ATLAS-L4 project, on the other hand, is already working on the concrete implementation of autonomous hub-to-hub transports, as they have been possible since 2022 due to the law on autonomous driving. At the end of 2024, Atlas-L4 will be the first truck to drive autonomously on a German motorway.
Fuel saving: up to 4% less consumption with more power
With the classic diesel drive, MAN is bringing a new edition of the D26 engine to the IAA. A large number of engine improvements mean that the all-rounder for long-distance transport, heavy-duty distribution applications and construction site traffic consumes up to 3 percent less fuel than the current version, which is already very economical – and that with a simultaneous increase in torque by 50 Nm and a supplement of 10 hp for all performance variants. Additional savings for long-distance transport are brought about by new aerodynamic measures for the MAN TGX, which further reduce the air resistance when the air flows around the driver’s cab, and with extensions that improve the transition of the air flow to the trailer: Together with the engine savings, this means fuel savings of up to 4% possible in long-distance traffic.
Focus on the driver: new Individual Lion S equipment
Fresh for the IAA Transportation 2022, MAN is also adding even more emotion to its existing product range: the exclusive top equipment Individual Lion S, which is popular with drivers and entrepreneurs alike and recently won a Red Dot in the Red Dot Design Award, will also be available for the MAN TGS series from the IAA onwards and at the same time is undergoing extensive innovations: the special colour design now also includes the camera arms of the MAN OptiView mirror replacement system, with which there are no more blind spots for the driver in perceiving the traffic situation and other road users. New visual accents have been added to the typical red design elements in the interior and exterior. Among other things, the aerodomes on the sides of the long cabs are highlighted with black or red color elements and there is also an attractive black optics package.