Truck sales developed particularly positively, growing by 44% year-on-year to around 83,700 units. Bus sales also rose, increasing by 19% to around 5,700 units. “All segments recorded strong growth, with the market for coaches in particular, which had slumped due to the coronavirus pandemic, recovering significantly. Sales of coaches more than doubled to over 1 100 vehicles”, MAN notes.

MAN towards the electric coach of the future

The group focuses on the development of e-mobility activities: “While 263 electric city buses were sold in 2022, this figure had already risen to 771 vehicles by 2023 – MAN stresses in a press note -. Together with the market launch of the eTruck in October, MAN is thus continuing to systematically pursue its strategy of decarbonizing its vehicle fleet. By 2030, half of all new MAN trucks and around 90% of all new city buses are to have a battery-electric drive. Work is also already underway on the electric coach of the future”.

The van business also increased significantly. MAN Truck & Bus exceeded the pre-corona figures and delivered more vans than ever before. Around 26,600 vans were handed over to customers, which corresponds to an increase of 23%. The external engine business can look back on the second most successful year in its history after 2014. Around 11,600 engines were sold, more than half of them to customers in the agricultural sector – for use in tractors or combine harvesters, for example.

Friedrich Baumann, Chief Sales and Customer Solutions Officer at MAN Truck & Bus SE, states: “After some very challenging years, we are back on the road to success. We were able to score points with our innovative product portfolio and our customer-oriented services, which is one of the reasons why the 2023 financial year brought us record sales in some cases. Thanks to a strong team performance across all areas of the company, we were able to meet the extremely high demand in the best possible way and deliver more vehicles and engines than we have for years.”

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The cooperation is initially scheduled to run for three years and is not just limited to logistics. ABB E-mobility has recently signed a similar agreement with another brand within the TRATON Group, Scania.

On the same topic, MAN Truck & Bus had previously joined the NEFTON research project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and aimed at analyzing the system consisting of a fully electric truck, charging station and grid connection and design it for various applications in long-distance transport.

MAN and ABB joining together for megawatt charging

The basis for megawatt charging is Ethernet communication, which is being used for the first time in electromobility. Early software and interoperability tests with vehicles and charging stations should help to establish reliable products as quickly as possible in an emerging market environment.

“High charging performance, reliable technology and customer confidence – these are the prerequisites for the success of electromobility in heavy goods and long-distance passenger transport. By working together with MAN right from the early product phase, we can respond even better to the needs of our customers. By 2025, we want to bring a product to the market that meets the requirements of logistics,” added Floris van de Klashorst, Senior Vice President Products & Hardware Platforms at ABB E-mobility.

“Cooperation in the area of research and development is rather rare in our industry. Together with ABB E-mobility, we are striving for a trusting, binding and transparent partnership. We are already starting with the development of products and standards and are focusing on the special requirements of the commercial vehicle industry”, said Thomas Nickels, Senior Vice President Engineering at MAN.

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In May 2023 MAN announced it has entered a cooperation with Intel-owned Mobileye. MAN Truck & Bus is planning further pilots in actual customer use and, in perspective, full series production by the end of the decade. Michael Roth, Head of Product Strategy Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, in February spoke about the future of autonomous buses and the challenges of implementing the technology at the VDV Conference and ElekBu exhibition in Berlin.

An explanatory autonomous bus by MAN in Berlin for BeIntelli

BeIntelli project’s core is an “explanatory bus,” an autonomous electric vehicle equipped with an Automated Driving System from TU Berlin. “In the heart of the city, one of our all-electric buses will be driving on its own on a digitalized test track between Adenauer Platz and Ernst-Reuter-Platz towards Brandenburger Tor”, MAN stated on Linkedin.

The bus, based on a Lion’s City E model, will be equipped with an Automated Driving System (ADS) developed by the BeIntelli project partners DAI-Lab (belonging to Berlin’s TU University) and GT-ARC and is further supported by the Center for Tangible AI and Digitalization.

The bus will serve as a digitalized hub, incorporating screens to visually explain driving skills and technologies to passengers.

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MAN mainly offers chassis on the global market, which are then assembled into complete buses in the country by certified body manufacturers. In the case of the Lion’s Explorer E, however, MAN not “only” supplied the chassis, but also built the body according to the customer’s wishes and market requirements, the OEM stresses. The launch of MAN electric bus chassis was announced in 2022.

Series production of the e-bus chassis at MAN’s Polish plant in Starachowice is then scheduled to start in 2024.

MAN first e-bus delivered out of Europe

Together with Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, and Jan Aichinger, Managing Director of MAN Truck & Bus South Africa, Alexander Vlaskamp handed over the first Lion’s Explorer E and thus the first MAN eBus to a customer outside Europe in South Africa. The vehicle went to the operator Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS), which will now use it for a test operation in Cape Town. The transport company’s goal is to gradually convert its fleet of diesel buses to electric vehicles.

Our path leads from low emission to no emission. To achieve this, we are relying entirely on electric mobility in the city bus segment with the Lion’s City E in Europe – and worldwide we are doing the same with the Lion’s Chassis E

Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus

MAN Lion’s Explorer E: for Africa

MAN Truck & Bus states it is the market leader in the bus business in South Africa, with a market share of just over 45 percent of bus sales (end of 2022). The goal is to maintain this position in the future with electric drives. “This requires vehicles that have innovative technologies, convincing ranges, and solutions that are tailored to the market and well thought out – like the Lion’s Explorer E,” says Oktay, adding, “We are doing everything we can to ensure that the new eBus is as well received in South Africa as our Lion’s City E is in Europe, with over 1,000 units already produced.”

The body was realized at the MAN Bus plant in Olifantsfontein, South Africa. MAN explains that the upstream assembly of the electric high-floor chassis was carried out in conjunction with the second local MAN site in Pinetown, which is particularly sustainable thanks to its climate-neutral production.

In the future, the Lion’s Explorer E will take the residents of Cape Town and its environs safely, comfortably and emission-free to their destinations. Findings and experience from the test operation, which is now beginning, will be used to continuously improve the vehicle. The e-bus has four battery packs based on NMC technology (lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt battery) with 80 kWh each, giving it a total installed capacity of 320 kWh. An integrated electric motor generates a peak power of up to 240 kW.

MAN electric bus in Africa: high floor variant will follow

In a first step, the eChassis will be offered as a two-axle truck for low-floor applications. Versions for low-entry and intercity buses (high floor) are to follow at a later date. To ensure that it can also be used anywhere, there will be a left-hand drive and right-hand drive variant.

For the components for the eChassis, MAN is relying on the technology from the Lion’s City E.

Following the first handover in South Africa, further “demo buses” based on the Lion’s Chassis E are to be delivered in markets outside Europe in the coming months. Series production at MAN’s Polish plant in Starachowice is then scheduled to start in 2024.

“We are relying entirely on electric mobility in the city bus segment”

“It’s a special experience for each of us when we hand over a new vehicle or technology to a customer for the very first time,” says Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, adding: “Even more so when we make a significant contribution to more environmentally friendly mobility”.

“Partnerships with like-minded companies are key to moving forward and making a difference. For MAN, too, CO2-free driving is a core element of its strategy and the handover of the MAN Lion’s Explorer E is a milestone along the way,” adds Alexander Vlaskamp. “Our path leads from low emission to no emission. To achieve this, we are relying entirely on electric mobility in the city bus segment with the Lion’s City E in Europe – and worldwide we are doing the same with the Lion’s Chassis E. Because our responsibility for sustainable mobility does not end at Europe’s borders.”

“Electric buses are already on the road in South Africa. However, the special thing about the MAN Lion’s Explorer 12 E is that it was developed specifically for use here,” Barbaros Oktay makes clear. The new model is being built entirely in South Africa. “In this way, we can ensure that the eBus perfectly meets the needs of the local transport companies and, at the same time, can also be integrated into existing processes in the best possible way. If this succeeds, electromobility will gain significant momentum in South Africa – we are convinced of this.”

“With our electric chassis, we now offer the MAN electric bus solution for international markets. With the chassis, bodybuilders from all over the world get the ideal basis for their all-electric models,” adds Barbaros Oktay.

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In the future, the Lion’s City 12 E will be deployed in Madrid, as the vehicles has just been order by the transport company Auto Periferia S.A., a subsidiary of the Spanish Grupo Ruiz.

MAN ranks 2nd in e-bus market in H1 2023

Across Europe, the market for electric buses grew by 45% in the first half of 2023. A total of 2,567 battery-electric buses were registered during the period, according to Chatrou CME Solutions. This means that more than one in three new city buses (37.5 percent) in Europe is now emission-free.

With 260 eBuses, MAN Truck & Bus ranks second in terms of new registrations in Europe. And MAN e-buses are also proving extremely popular in the German market: of the 297 new electric buses registered in Germany in the first six months of this year, 63 were from MAN.

“By 2025, half of our new city buses will be electric, and just five years later, up to 90 percent of our buses in Europe will be battery-powered. We also have our sights set on the electrification of intercity buses and coaches.”, says Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus.

MAN: batteries produced in Nuremberg

The high-voltage batteries for the electric buses and trucks will be mass-produced in Nuremberg from the beginning of 2025. MAN is investing around 100 million euros in this over the next five years (and received a 24-million euros grant from German Federal government). The aim is to expand production capacity to over 100,000 batteries per year, that could be used to equip around 15,000 to 25,000 e-buses or e-trucks – depending on the configuration.

In addition, the charging infrastructure is to be expanded as part of the Milence joint venture, which the TRATON Group founded together with Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group: the plan is to set up at least 1,700 high-performance charging points at or near freeways and logistics hubs across Europe in the next few years.

A story that started in Hamburg

MAN Truck & Bus already received its first e-bus order at the end of 2019 – a year before the start of production: Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) ordered 17 MAN Lion’s City E. Since then, VHH has been consistently pursuing its path toward a completely zero-emission bus fleet.

The next order covered a further 20 electric buses. In 2022, VHH opted for eBuses from MAN for the third time: the order included 30 eSolobuses and 6 eArticulated buses. The latest order from this year includes the delivery of up to 100 more electric buses by MAN Truck & Bus.

MAN Lion’s City E: focus on Spain

Back to the latest order achieved in the Spanish market, Grupo Ruiz – incidentally the first Spanish customer to order MAN electric buses – also already has 20 MAN e-buses in operation, and plans to have 60 vehicles by the end of 2023. In the meantime, however, the company is by no means the only public transport operator in Spain to rely on the MAN Lion’s City E – on the contrary: to date, more than 175 MAN e-buses have been ordered for Spanish cities such as Alicante, Badajoz, Bilbao, Cáceres, Leganés, Málaga, Melilla, San Sebastián, and Valencia. The majority of the vehicles are to be delivered and put into service this year.

Over 370 MAN e-buses to be in operation in Scandinavia

Scandinavia in particular is regarded as one of the pioneers when it comes to electromobility. This is also reflected in the order figures: by the end of 2023, more than 370 electrically powered MAN city buses are expected to be in operation here. The latest orders include 45 MAN Lion’s City 12 E buses ordered by VIKINGBUS Danmark A/S. In the future, the transport company will operate routes in Copenhagen as well as in Frederiksberg, Lyngby, Greve, and Høje Taastrup in Denmark. Anchersen A/S had already ordered 25 eBuses from MAN in 2021, which are now in use on the central Copenhagen bus route 7A. “But our MAN Lion’s City E has also been excellently received in Norway and Sweden. For example, the Norwegian transport operator Unibuss, among others, has ordered 76 MAN Lion’s City E from us,” says Robert Katzer, Head of Sales & Product Bus at MAN Truck & Bus.

Three years in production for the MAN Lion’s City E

“Almost exactly three years ago – at the beginning of October 2020 – series production for our battery-electric city buses successfully started in Starachowice. Since then, more and more e-buses have been reliably rolling off the production line,” says Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, adding, “We have a great team to thank for this, who are tirelessly committed and deliver outstanding work. In addition, our plant in Poland has developed into a center of excellence for electric city buses in recent years.”

“Orders, such as the current one from Grupo Ruiz, and the demand from our customers clearly show that our Lion’s City E is becoming increasingly popular,” makes Robert Katzer, Head of Sales & Product Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, clear, adding, “The many follow-up orders in particular prove how satisfied operators are with the vehicle.”

MAN on the way to net zero

MAN therefore aims to become greenhouse gas neutral in terms of its balance sheet by 2050 at the latest. To achieve its ambitious climate targets, MAN Truck & Bus is focusing primarily on the electrification of the products it sells, which are responsible for around 97% of the company’s CO2 emissions. “On our way to zero emissions, we are relying fully on electric drive in the bus business. To this end, we are consistently converting our portfolio in the city bus and intercity segment to electric vehicles over the next few years,” Oktay makes clear. Incidentally, MAN is also focusing on battery-electric drives because the vehicles are economically convincing. “BEV simply offers the best TCO for our customers. That’s why we’re also focusing on the electric variant for coaches in the next step.”

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Registration of zero-emission buses have grown to 174 in the first eight months of 2023, as reported on Italian media AUTOBUSweb. Such figures correspond to a +145% increase on 2022. And, most importantly, they represent a 22.6 per cent share of city bus registrations. Perfectly in line, therefore, with the quotas of the Clean Vehicles Directive, albeit far from the European average of 37.5 per cent.

70 MAN Lion’s City E ordered in Italy so far

These will be joined next year by 33 MAN Lion’s City E 12m for ACTV in Venice (where also 90 fuel cell buses, from Solaris, are set to land) and 10 MAN Lion’s City E 10.5m for MOM in Treviso, as well as a further 25 MAN Lion’s City E, in 12m and 18m models, acquired through central purchasing body CONSIP.

“In the coming weeks we expect to receive further orders from the tenders we are taking part in,” explains David Siviero, Head of Sales & Product Bus at MAN Truck & Bus Italy, “thus contributing to the exponential growth that MAN is achieving all over Europe with the MAN Lion’s City E. The features and performance of our electric buses have convinced numerous customers and the successes we are achieving are confirming this. Also thanks to the new 10.5-metre model, we are counting on achieving very significant market shares, even in a varied and competitive landscape”.

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We had the opportunity to discuss with him present and future strategy of MAN bus business, along with key topics affecting the industry, at UITP Summit 2023 in Barcelona.

Barbaros Oktay‘s career in the automotive industry began at MAN Turkey, where since 2004 he held roles in production management and purchasing. He then joined MAN Truck & Bus SE as a Purchasing Vice President and later became the Head of Bus Engineering.

We have adopted a lean management approach to increase efficiency and drive profitability. This means making strategic decisions about our product portfolio, such as choosing not to invest in city and intercity segments with Euro 7 engines, in order to optimize our resources and to clearly focus on e-mobility. Lean management is a significant part of our overall strategy.

Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus, MAN Truck & Bus

Barbaros Oktay: the meaning of the ‘Head of Bus’ position

You have been appointed in the newly-created position of Head of Bus… may you be more specific about what such a new role means?

The bus business is distinct from the truck business in several ways. Customers have different needs and expectations, events in the industry vary, pricing structures are unique, and there are different approaches to reaching and engaging customers. These differences also give rise to various synergies that exist within the bus business.

In examining the history of successful companies, one key factor that sets them apart is their decision-making process. Recognizing the need for timely and accurate decision-making, it becomes crucial to detect when decisions are required. Within MAN, we recognized the need for a dedicated organization that could better cater to the evolving expectations of our customers. The bus industry has undergone significant changes, and customers now demand quicker decisions and faster responses than ever before. To meet these expectations effectively, we realized that a specialized bus organization operating from morning to evening was necessary.

In our Ankara plant in Turkey we are in the process of qualifying it for electromobility production. Over time, we plan to ramp up its competencies, enabling it to produce high-voltage products by the end of 2025. This strategic move will allow us to leverage the unique strengths of both plants and distribute production responsibilities effectively.

Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus, MAN Truck & Bus

Under the new organization the bus business will be more autonomous, then?

Absolutely. With the new organization structure, we have consolidated all functions related to the bus business under one roof. This includes engineering, purchasing, production & logistics, sales, quality, human resources, customer service management and finance departments, all working together seamlessly.

Do you see more changes in the expectations of private or public customers, or both?

Both private and public customers are experiencing changes in their expectations. The advancement of technology has led to an increased pace of interactions and decision-making across industries.

Barbaros Oktay, MAN, an evolving market

In March MAN stated that “Sales in the bus business had fallen from around 7,400 units in 2019 to around 4,600 units in 2021. The situation also remained tense in the past 2022 financial year. Although sales here increased by about 180 units to about 4,800 vehicles compared to 2021. But the recovery, especially in the coach market, which has been hit particularly hard by the Corona crisis, continues to be delayed”. How is 2023 progressing thus far? Are these considerations still valid? Do you think we should still pursue ‘recovery’ or rather a ‘navigation in a changed environment?

The situation has indeed been challenging for us, as the pandemic has significantly impacted the bus and coach market, resulting in a decrease in sales volume. However, it’s important to note that market conditions are constantly evolving, and we are now witnessing a gradual recovery in both the European market as a whole and the coach business specifically. While the recovery process has been delayed, we remain optimistic about the future.

Our commitment to the bus business is deeply ingrained in our company DNA, as indicated by our name. We have a strong belief in investing in this sector, recognizing that significant opportunities lie ahead, both in terms of technological advancements and changes in the business environment.

Electromobility is a key focus for us, and we have great confidence in its potential. Being part of a larger group enables us to leverage the expertise and technologies developed within the organization. This includes advancements in battery management systems and other relevant areas, which have a direct impact on our bus business.

Traditionally, the truck segment has played a significant role in providing components and technologies to the bus sector. However, with the emergence of electromobility, we find ourselves at the forefront of this transition. As the truck segment adopts new technologies, such as electric drivetrains, component systems, including batteries, will also transition from truck to bus applications. I see this change as a big chance for us. 

We collaborate with bodybuilder partners around the world, extending from Australia to Taiwan and Indonesia. These partnerships enable us to maintain a global presence and serve customers in various regions. For instance, in Africa, we have established production and development centers in South Africa. We are proud to manufacture certain products there, and we are excited to announce that e-buses will be introduced in that market this year

Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus, MAN Truck & Bus

It was stated that your role “will be to consistently implement our comprehensive package of measures to improve earnings and to make the bus business sustainably profitable again”. May you be more specific on this?

In order to improve our earnings and ensure the long-term profitability of our bus business, we have implemented a comprehensive package of measures. One of the key factors in achieving this goal is the recovery of volumes in the market. However, the transformation towards electromobility is also a crucial aspect.

We have adopted a lean management approach to increase efficiency and drive profitability. This means making strategic decisions about our product portfolio, such as choosing not to invest in city and intercity segments with Euro 7 engines, in order to optimize our resources and to clearly focus on e-mobility. Lean management is a significant part of our overall strategy.

Furthermore, we have established a strong infrastructure in high-cost countries where we develop our concepts, strategies, and management. However, when it comes to product realization for our customers, we leverage the advantages of best-cost countries. We have already established production know-how for electromobility in Poland and Ankara, allowing us to effectively manage costs.

Additionally, as part of the TRATON group, we have a close relationship with Scania, which is highly experienced in the chassis business globally. They will continue to focus on chassis production while we engage in component and system-level collaborations. These investments, along with streamlining activities, optimizing platform combinations, adopting lean structures, and prioritizing customer needs, will naturally contribute to improved profitability.

We are committed to managing and implementing these measures in order to strengthen our position as a major player in the European market and as a European-oriented OEM. Our ultimate goal is to ensure sustainable profitability and maintain a strong presence in the evolving industrial organization of the European bus market.

MAN: now the focus is (also) on the global market

But also on the global market…

Indeed. Our focus is not limited to the European market alone; we also have a strong presence and ambitious plans in the global market. While we continue to prioritize the European complete vehicle market, we recognize the importance of expanding our reach globally.

In addition to our chassis business, we collaborate with bodybuilder partners around the world, extending from Australia to Taiwan and Indonesia. These partnerships enable us to maintain a global presence and serve customers in various regions. For instance, in Africa, we have established production and development centers in South Africa. We are proud to manufacture certain products there, and we are excited to announce that e-buses will be introduced in that market this year. I encourage you to keep an eye on Africa as perceptions are changing, and there is a growing demand for our offerings in the region.

There’s less competition with cars, right?

Yes, when you will see e-bus registrations in Africa there you’ll be surprised. We have already developed a concept, a high floor commuter e-bus for Africa (the other global chassis is for Singapore, editor’s take). This year we are going to start with a few trials. We are bringing the African first e-bus built by a European company. 

How to win competition with Chinese brands in Africa, where cost-pressure should be even higher than in other regions?

Every challenge makes us better than yesterday. Increasing competition is motivating us.

As for our Ankara plant in Turkey, we are in the process of qualifying it for electromobility production. Over time, we plan to ramp up its competencies, enabling it to produce high-voltage products by the end of 2025. This strategic move will allow us to leverage the unique strengths of both plants and distribute production responsibilities effectively.

Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus, MAN Truck & Bus

Intercity bus market: battery-electric is the way (according to MAN)

Let’s move to the intercity segment. While the path towards electric urban buses seems relatively clear and the imperative of energy transition is not immediate for coaches, there is a certain level of uncertainty when it comes to the Class II segment. Gas solutions are technologically mature, but national and European directives are aiming for decarbonization. How is MAN dealing with these trends?

Our strategic focus is on battery-electric vehicles, and there are several reasons that support this choice. Through extensive research and analysis, we have found that battery-electric vehicles offer the best TCO in the market. This has reinforced our belief in the viability and value of this technology for our customers. Additionally, being part of a large group provides us with accessibility to battery technology. We have the advantage of leveraging both NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) and LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery technologies. Each technology has its own advantages and disadvantages, and we carefully evaluate their suitability for different applications.

By prioritizing battery-electric vehicles and leveraging our access to battery technology, we are confident in offering our customers efficient and cost-effective solutions that align with their profitability goals.

The Euro 7 regulations and the transition roadmap to electric vehicles are putting significant pressure on the budgets and strategies of manufacturers. What is your group’s strategy in response to these challenges?

As part of ACEA, we believe that the Euro 7 standard does not provide significant benefits. Instead of focusing solely on our perspective, we believe it is crucial for the European Union to listen to the true customers in this industry: the passengers. We propose conducting interviews in the streets to gauge public interest in taking a seat on a non-sustainable bus after 2030 in Europe. If we find that there is a demand for such buses, we will consider following that decision. However, based on our current assessment, we do not see any advantages of Euro 7 for our passengers, customers, or our commitment to sustainability.

Autonomous mobility, plants, organization

You recently announced a partnership with Mobileye in the field of autonomous driving, and  the goal of having a driverless bus in serial production by the end of the decade. This technology has the potential to revolutionize mobility, starting with urban transportation. What impacts do you foresee for public and collective transportation?

The autonomous driving technology that supports drivers will soon become highly effective. However, the adoption of fully driverless technology may not escalate as rapidly as digital technology or electric vehicles. Technological advancements are driven by needs, and the current need is a shortage of drivers. This means that drivers have the option to choose their workplaces, and a more comfortable and safe working environment becomes a driving force for transformation.

We are currently engaging with numerous customers, and we emphasize the importance of prioritizing driver satisfaction. Operators are now including driver evaluation criteria in their tenders, which marks a revolutionary shift. It has become a significant factor in tenders across Europe to earn favorable ratings from drivers.

In conclusion, the introduction of safety drivers controlling autonomous vehicles will happen in the near future.

You have two European plants, Starachowice and Ankara. How do you see the evolution of these two plants in the future concerning competences and strategies?

When it comes to the future evolution of our European plants in Starachowice, Poland, and Ankara, Turkey, we have distinct strategies and competencies in mind.

Our plant in Starachowice, Poland, has successfully completed its transformation and has become our electromobility competence center. We continue to invest in this plant to enhance its capabilities and meet the increasing demand for electromobility solutions.

As for our Ankara plant in Turkey, we are in the process of qualifying it for electromobility production. Over time, we plan to ramp up its competencies, enabling it to produce high-voltage products by the end of 2025. This strategic move will allow us to leverage the unique strengths of both plants and distribute production responsibilities effectively.

In Poland your group had to reduce production…

We made a strategic decision to focus on the production of electric city buses in Poland, discontinuing the production of conventional city buses. Electric city buses have distinct demands and requirements compared to their conventional counterparts. As a result, we needed to adjust our production capacity accordingly.

However, it’s important to note that as the demand for electric city buses continues to rise, we anticipate a ramp-up in production. The dispersion and adoption of electric buses are expected to increase steadily, and in line with this growth, we will gradually raise our production capacities.

Ultimately, our goal is to align our production capabilities with the market’s transition towards electric city buses. Once the market reaches a point where 100% of city buses are electric, we anticipate completing the ramp-up of our production capacities to meet the demand effectively.

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What about MAN roadmap for zero-emission? Next step will be the electrification of Low Entry products in Class I and Class II. With news coming by end of the year (read: Busworld).

MAN, focus on battery – not on hydrogen

It is worth mentioning that such an announcement follows a similar one from Daimler Buses in May 2022: also the Stuttgart-based group is not investing in Euro 7 for Class I buses.

450 Lion’s City E have been delivered so far (with over 1,000 in the orders book). In 2025 new battery generation will allow +25% range for MAN e-buses. And also pantograph-charging solution are to be launched in the next couple of year, the brand announces, with the Spanish city of San Sebastian as first customer of MAN Lion’s City E with inverted pantograph.

«Battery technology has more room for improvements in energy density and charging power than hydrogen technology. Therefore we are not focusing on fuel cell buses», Kiess stresses.

MAN is also focusing on global markets, with the chassis applications announced in 2022. Still Kiess: “We developed a chassis for Asia, with target our markets in Hong Kong and Singapore, built in Turkey with bodywork from a local partner. Another version has been developed for the market of South Africa (high-floor, commuter bus)”.

Spanish bus market: Class II Lion’s City E!

The Spanish bus market counts on more than 7,000 city buses operating in 27 major cities and a total of 12,000 city and intercity buses in key areas. The average age of city buses stands at 9.3 years, highlighting the need for modernization and fleet renewal. Furthermore, the Spanish market has seen significant investments in electric buses, with 650 e-buses financed through Next Gen EU funds since 2022.

“And we expect other over 400 units to be financed”, added Manuel Fraile, Head of Sales Bus, MAN Truck & Bus Iberia. “Over 175 e-buses have been awarded so far, counting together running and ordered units. And in Spain we are moving forward: we electrified the first Lion’s City E in Class II segment“.

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These are the ingredients of MINGA project, with preparations underway in Munich. Stadtwerke München (SWM) with Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVG) is a partner in the project. The preparation with the technical set-up and the clarification of regulatory aspects for the operation of these autonomous services is planned within 2024. Trial operations will start in the course of 2025, and approval for passenger use is targeted by the end of the project period.

MVG and MINGA project: automated vehicles for public transport

MVG and partners in the MINGA project are developing automated vehicles for local public transport.
Together, the partners in the MINGA funding project have set themselves the goal of further developing local public transport. In the project duration of 34 months until the end of 2025, the focus is on the automation of on-demand vehicles and buses. The research project is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) with around 13 million euros as part of the funding guideline “Autonomous and Connected Driving in Public Transport”.

Teams from research and development, the municipality and the operating company are working together for a holistic investigation from planning to approval and set-up to implementation. The operating area where the vehicles will be tested should offer various traffic challenges and be well connected to a depot.

Ride pooling vehicles still to be tendered

Together with the mobility department of the City of Munich and the DB subsidiary ioki, which offers software solutions for public transport, SWM and MVG are setting up a ride pooling system with three to five automated vehicles in on-demand operation. The procurement of the vehicles for automated on-demand operation in mixed traffic will be put out to public tender in the project.

Michael Barillère-Scholz, co-founder and managing director of the DB technology company ioki: “Autonomous ridepooling is one of the key concepts on the way to a demand-oriented and thus attractive public transport system. In the MINGA project, we will contribute our experience in routing and pooling in local transport as well as our ioki platform and further develop them in close cooperation with the partners. The findings from the project can make a decisive contribution to sustainably influencing local public transport in Germany.”

The preparation of the driving operation is planned in several phases. First, a trial operation without passengers with safety drivers will take place and in the final phase, test runs with passengers under technical supervision are planned in coordination with the licensing authorities.

In addition to the technical implementation, the study will also provide data on driving performance and maintenance in order to be able to optimise processes. In addition, concrete proposals for the design of technical supervision of autonomous vehicles in local public transport will be developed. In this context, a guideline for the industry is also to be developed.

MAN automated bus will be in operation…

SWM is also working with researchers from the University of Stuttgart, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the FZI Research Centre for Information Technology as well as the mobility department of the City of Munich to test various systems for scheduled operation with automated buses.

A 12-metre-long electric bus is being equipped with a Self Driving System (SDS) in cooperation with the manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus.

Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus: “Sustainability is a central component of MAN’s corporate strategy. That is why, on the one hand, we are consistently converting our products to electric drives. On the other hand, we are pushing ahead with automation and digitalisation. The MINGA project is an important step for us on the way to the mobility turnaround.”

…with Ebusco in charge of bus platoons

The manufacturer Ebusco is a partner in the project for the development of two bus platoons. This involves forming a formation of two buses connected by a virtual drawbar. The rear bus automatically follows the first vehicle. This makes it possible to offer high-capacity opportunities in bus transport, which can then also replace diesel-powered buses with trailers, still used in Munich.

Wolfgang Hackauf, Sales Director Germany at Ebusco: “Founded ten years ago with the firm conviction that the future belongs to electric transport, innovation is in our DNA. Already years ago, we delivered our first electric buses to SWM, which are still on the road in the city of Munich today. We are proud to now jointly take the next leap into the future of electric driving as part of the MINGA project. We believe that platooning will be another step towards flexibility, efficiency and cost reduction and look forward to further testing these ‘bus platoons’ on German roads with our innovative and lightweight Ebusco 3.0.”

MVG view on the future of public transport

Ingo Wortmann, SWM Managing Director Mobility and MVG CEO: “We are proud to be able to advance the automation of public transport as a partner in the MINGA project and to set standards for the industry. In this way, we are making public transport more attractive for our passengers and creating the basis for further automation and for flexible new services. Our activities for MINGA are thus also an essential building block for our corporate strategy, with which we will make public transport in Munich fit for the future. We can thus establish an on-demand service that complements the underground, bus and tram in the best possible way. MVG is prepared for this – we have already integrated appropriate workstations for this in our new control centre. Another essential aspect is a medium-term replacement for our high-capacity, diesel-powered buses with trailers, which are difficult to electrify in this form, in order to be able to operate our bus fleet completely electrically by 2035. This is possible with two virtually connected solo buses, the so-called bus platoons. A third important sub-project involves an automated solo bus that can operate driverless in the future. Overall, MINGA is another important step for us towards the public transport of the future.”

The post Preparations underway for MINGA project in Munich: spotlight on driverless ride-pooling, platooning, autonomous buses appeared first on Sustainable Bus.

Now the manufacturer has announced that they are working with Mobileye: their first joint goal consists in launching pilot operation of the first automated city bus with a safety driver from 2025 as part of the just-announced MINGA research project in Munich.

Subsequently, MAN Truck & Bus is planning further pilots in actual customer use and, in perspective, full series production by the end of the decade. The fact that Germany was the first country in the world to create the legal framework for autonomous driving is a decisive advantage in this respect, the group states.

MAN – Mobileye: focus on autonomous buses

According to MAN studies, TCO will drop down of 50% with autonomous buses – needless to say where savings are going to come from.

Michael Roth, Head of Product Strategy Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, in February spoke about the future of autonomous buses and the challenges of implementing the technology at the VDV Conference and ElekBu exhibition in Berlin.

With Mobileye Drive, the expert for autonomous vehicles has developed a turnkey self-driving system that is ready for scalable commercial use and has a sophisticated sensor system. It also features “safety by design” and the use of highly scalable AV maps. Mobileye will provide the Mobileye Drive intelligent Automated Driving System (ADS) along the planned roadmap, MAN states. Meanwhile, MAN will create the necessary vehicle architecture to meet bus automation requirements.

MAN turns to Mobileye

The first automated MAN bus of the type Lion’s City E is to prove itself in Munich’s city traffic from as early as 2025, accompanied by a safety driver. It is to be used on bus route 144 through the Olympic Park, which is characterised by tourism and leisure, as part of the MINGA research project. In the project, which is led by the Mobility Department (Mobilitätsreferat) of the City of Munich and funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV), MAN and numerous other project partners from industry, science, administration and associations are working, among other things, on the integration of automated vehicles into the existing mobility ecosystem.

“The fact that urban bus mobility in the future will not only be emission-free and connected, but also automated, is not a general question, but merely a question of time,” says Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus. “MAN Truck & Bus has therefore strategically positioned itself through the cooperation with Mobileye in such a way that we can jointly set the decisive milestones on our further path to the automation of the city bus.”

“We are excited about the future collaboration with MAN Truck & Bus. We care about sustainable mobility solutions in both the private and public sectors and see autonomous vehicle technologies as an important contribution to making public transport safer, more efficient and more accessible. MAN Truck & Bus and Mobileye share a clear vision for autonomous mobility of the future, which is underlined by this cooperation,” says Johann Jungwirth, Senior Vice President, Autonomous Vehicles at Mobileye.

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