A near-production prototype of an electric truck has been shown by MAN Truck & Bus for the first time.
The reveal is confirmation that the company has accelerated the change to zero-emission commercial vehicles.
Last month, there was confirmation that production of heavy-duty e-trucks would start in Munich, possibly in 2024.
However, the company has now shown the near-production prototype to demonstrate its eMobility credentials.
Alexander Vlaskamp, chairman of MAN’s board, told an audience in Nuremberg more about the truck.
“MAN is accelerating its transformation and taking big steps towards emission-free drive systems.
“In other words, our focus at MAN and in the TRATON Group is clearly on battery-electric drives.”
Continuing, Vlaskamp said the drives form the basis for our heavy-duty e-trucks.
These vehicles will be launched onto the market from 2024.
Specifically, MAN said the new truck would cover the majority of applications in the transport sector.
In addition, to help the conversion to battery power, a holistic analysis of customer needs is necessary, said the company.
After the decision for an eTruck, MAN’s eConsulting initiative will cover the operational phase.
For example, this includes cost optimisation, route analysis and fleet optimisation and charging infrastructure.
MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp also announced at the event that the first 200 e-trucks will be built at the beginning of 2024.
The battery-electric trucks will then roll off the production line at MAN’s main e-mobility plant in Munich.
Meanwhile, the event featured another announcement relating to the battery pack.
Specifically, MAN said it would expand its expertise and production of battery packs.
The work will be done at MAN’s eMobility Technical Centre at Nuremberg, where the near-production prototype was revealed.
Already, e-vehicle testing and internal tests have since been produced in individual production with the battery packs.
