Following its first appearance at the Hanover show, an eTruck update has been issued by MAN.
The company has revealed that the first public test drives have taken place as part of the MAN eMobility Experience.
In other words, operators have had the chance to drive near-production versions of the truck.
The MAN eTruck will enter service in 2024 and is already prepared for future megawatt charging.
Therefore, it allows a daily range of between 600 and 800km,
That figure will rise to 1,000km in the future.
Those figures make it twice as efficient as today’s combustion-powered models, says MAN.
Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, hailed the arrival of the latest version of the truck in the eTruck update.
“Our new eTruck will electrify long-distance transport from 2024,” he said.
“MAN will then be driving electrically and CO2-free in all product areas.
“At the IAA we opened the order book for the first batch of the new eTruck and there are many interested parties!”
Continuing, Vlaskamp said the eTruck will arrive on the market ‘just at the right time’.
“From the middle of the decade it will be more economical to drive battery-electric than conventional diesel,” he reasoned.
“Therefore, by 2030, half of our vehicles sold in the EU should have zero-emission drive systems.
“However, for this to happen, the charging infrastructure must be there, in Germany and in Europe.”
Meanwhile, MAN has given a further update on the production process and overall development of the eTruck.
For example, the company said it already had 20 prototypes at the company’s main plant in Munich.
Mixed series production with conventional trucks has, therefore, been tested.
Investments in battery technology are also being made, confirmed MAN.
From 2025, around 100,000 battery packs will be produced annually at MAN’s Nuremberg plant.