Introducing the eTruck
The eTruck – which will come to market in 2024 (in small numbers) – is being produced by German truck, bus and van manufacturer MAN (which, just in case you’re interested, stands for Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg). It is being produced in Munich, alongside trucks with an internal combustion engine.
This is not MAN’s first foray into electric trucks. Back in September 2018, it delivered nine eTGMs to Austrian companies. The all-electric MAN eTGM distribution vehicle (it’s a 26-tonner) was powered by a 264 kW electric motor, developing a maximum torque of 3 100 Nm. But those trucks belonged to a previous generation of MAN trucks, often referred to as “TG2”. The current generation of MANs, referred to as “TG3” or the “New Truck Generation”, doesn’t include the eTGM – but it does include the eTruck. A total of 200 eTrucks will roll off the production line at MAN's plant in Munich in 2024 – with many more to follow.
DB Schenker will be the first customer to secure one of these trucks. The first 10 MAN eTrucks for DB Schenker will be volume semitrailer tractors. The low semitrailer height of around 950 mm makes trailers with an internal height of 3 metres possible. The other electric trucks to be delivered in 2025 and 2026 are intended to be ultra-tractor units and swap body trucks.
The truck in a nutshell
The eTruck is MAN’s first battery-electric heavy truck. The truck we drove was a fully loaded prototype 4×2 tractor with a 42-tonne GCM. MAN is claiming a range as high as 800 km but (and this is a big “but”) this assumes that the driver has a lunch or coffee break and recharges the truck at a megawatt charger. This is no hassle or inconvenience. In fact, in Europe it’s mandatory: truck drivers must take a 45-minute break after every four-and-a-half hours (maximum) at the wheel. Megawatt charging means that the power reserves of their eTruck should be full again by the end of their break. E-mobility experts who joined us at the test drive were confident that, thanks to technology improvements, daily ranges of up to 1 000 km will be possible in the second half of this decade.
Exterior
As you can see from the photographs, the truck looks like a blinged-up OTT “regular” MAN. The prototypes (there were two) had glorious bright red/orange exterior accents (MAN calls the colour “high-voltage red”; it comes from the high-voltage cables). One of the eTrucks had a normal chassis height configuration while the other was low, and it was the real looker of the two (not that the normal height eTruck was any slouch in the looks department, mind you).
Interior
Unfortunately, we are not allowed to give any details of the interior of the truck. That’s because the two units were prototypes and the end product may well look a bit different. We were told that there would almost certainly be some changes to the dashboard, for instance. Fair enough! What we saw we really liked though and, based on our experience with MAN trucks, we predict a fabulous interior for the eTruck. Logically, the interior should feature MAN SmartSelect, which we love.
Drivetrain
MAN’s eTruck has 300 to 350 kW of power and it churns out 3000 Nm of torque – and it takes off faster than one of Elon’s rockets. It really is a complete and utter blast to drive. Super smooth and also ultra-quiet, it truly represents the future of trucking. Drivers are going to love it.
As an aside, it was interesting to learn from the experts that the eTruck uses the third generation of MAN batteries. The first generation was used in the eTGM, and the second generation of batteries features in the MAN Lion's City E city bus (which recently set a range record in practical use of over 550 kilometres with one battery charge). From 2025, MAN will produce around 100,000 batteries per year at the company’s Nuremberg factory.
Speaking of batteries, there’s always a choice: does an operator focus on a long range or a high payload (it’s hard to match the two). For this reason, MAN is going to adopt a modular approach. Customers will be able to select different battery configuration options for the deployment-specific optimisation of the new MAN eTruck – from three to six battery packs.
Transmission
The truck we drove had a four-speed transmission which, of course, was super smooth. A two-speed transmission is also available.
Safety
The safety features for the eTruck have not been announced yet but it is reasonable to assume that, as is the case with all modern MAN trucks, the electric vehicle will have a full array of safety systems. We expect to see features including lane return assistant, the MAN EBA emergency brake assistant, the radar-based cornering aid, lane change assistant, ACC Stop&Go and more.
Verdict
MAN is predicting great things for its eTruck – and many benefits for the environment and transport operators too. Compared to a diesel truck in long-distance transport with an average consumption of 27 litres, MAN reckons a single electric truck can save up to 100 tonnes of CO2 per year over 120 000 km. And the transport companies also benefit, because the electric truck uses energy more efficiently, saving up to 7 000 euros per year in comparison (that’s around R139 092).
Furthermore, MAN’s technical experts told us that – with low operating costs and an energy utilisation from tank to wheel that is about twice as efficient as compared to today's combustion engine trucks but also to fuel cell trucks – battery electric vehicles offer the most suitable technology for future CO2-free commercial vehicle fleets.
Their arguments are most convincing. Alas, the bad news for progressive South African transporters is that we won’t see 6x4 versions of the eTruck here before 2027/2028. The 4x2s and 6x2s will be launched overseas first. We also have our electricity woes to resolve. But, assuming electricity is available, once the eTrucks do come here, do we think they will be worth a second look? Most definitely. MAN has quite some experience with battery-electric trucks (remember that handover back in 2018). So, they’ve had lots of time to sort out any little niggles. By the time we finally get the eTruck, it should be just perfect.
