Increasing Popularity of MAN Lion’s City E: MAN Truck & Bus Leads the Transition to E-Mobility

Increasing Popularity of MAN Lion’s City E: MAN Truck & Bus Leads the Transition to E-Mobility

(IN BRIEF) MAN Truck & Bus is driving the transition to sustainable mobility with its popular all-electric city buses, the MAN Lion’s City E. These buses have gained popularity across Europe for their reliability, range, and comfort. More public transport operators are embracing eBuses, and recent orders include 100 buses for Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH and 45 buses for VIKINGBUS Danmark A/S. Scandinavia, known for its commitment to electromobility, will see over 370 electric MAN city buses in operation by the end of 2023. MAN Truck & Bus aims to be greenhouse gas neutral by 2050 and is investing in battery production and charging infrastructure to support electrification efforts. With over 1,000 orders received, the MAN Lion’s City E is leading the way towards sustainable transportation.

(PRESS RELEASE) MÜNICH, 5-Jun-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — MAN Truck & Bus, one of Europe’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, is leading the way in sustainable mobility with its popular all-electric city buses, the MAN Lion’s City E. These emission-free buses have garnered praise from entrepreneurs, drivers, and passengers across Europe for their reliability, range, and comfort. Building on this success, MAN Truck & Bus is fully committed to electric drive as the future of transportation.

eBuses, such as the MAN Lion’s City E, are gaining popularity among public transport operators aiming for a completely emission-free fleet. Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH), for example, has recently awarded a contract for up to 100 MAN Lion’s City 12 E buses, marking their fourth collaboration with MAN in choosing eBuses. VHH has exclusively ordered zero-emission buses for their Hamburg service area since 2020, and the delivery of the first 48 eBuses from the new agreement is expected by the end of 2023.

“We are very pleased about such follow-up orders. After all, they clearly show how satisfied the company is with our innovative and reliable electric vehicles,” says Robert Katzer, Head of Sales & Product Bus at MAN Truck & Bus.

Scandinavia is at the forefront of electromobility, and this is reflected in the rising demand for eBuses. By the end of 2023, over 370 electric MAN city buses will be in operation in Scandinavia. VIKINGBUS Danmark A/S has recently ordered 45 MAN Lion’s City 12 E buses to serve routes in Copenhagen and various locations in Denmark. Anchersen A/S, another Danish transport company, has already put 25 MAN eBuses into service on the central Copenhagen bus route 7A.

The European market for electric buses grew by 26 percent in 2022, with nearly one-third of newly registered city buses being emission-free. MAN Truck & Bus continues to prioritize sustainable local public transport and is fully dedicated to electric drive. The MAN electric bus, which entered series production in 2020, has received over 1,000 orders to date. With around 450 MAN eBuses already operating across Europe, these vehicles are proving their power, reliability, and suitability for everyday use.

“One thing is certain, however: we want to put significantly more electric buses on the road. 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.

“In order to successfully follow this path, we are making our employees fit for the new technology and advising our customers on the changeover,” says Robert Katzer, adding: “With the MAN Lion’s City E, we also already have a very successful eBus series in our portfolio.”

“It is a real concern for us to act responsibly and make a positive contribution to society,” says Oktay. MAN Truck & Bus aims to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality in its operations by 2050 at the latest, emphasizing environmental and climate protection. To meet its ambitious climate targets, the company is focusing on electrification, which accounts for approximately 97 percent of its CO2 emissions. The success of this strategy is evident, as eBus orders more than tripled in 2022 compared to the previous year. In fact, around 12 percent of the city buses sold by MAN in Europe were electric. MAN is also preparing to launch heavy-duty eTrucks in Munich in 2024.

To support its electric mobility goals, MAN will invest approximately 100 million euros over the next five years in the mass production of high-voltage batteries in Nuremberg, starting from early 2025. The company plans to expand production capacity to over 100,000 batteries annually. Additionally, as part of the TRATON Group’s Milence joint venture, MAN aims to set up at least 1,700 high-performance charging points across Europe near motorways and logistics hubs in the coming years.

The success of the MAN Lion’s City E has garnered praise from operators and experts alike, solidifying its position as a leading choice for sustainable urban transportation.

“Our main focus is definitely on advancing electromobility, and to achieve this we are working on a wide variety of levers: whether it’s employee training, all-round advice for private customers and transport operators, investments in battery production or the constant further development of our MAN Lion’s City E,” says Barbaros Oktay and adds: “From the very beginning it was clear to us that we would develop our eBus in close cooperation with our customers, but also constantly optimise it. Our goal was and is to offer the best electric city bus on the market. The fact that our efforts have been rewarded by the market and many experts is a great success. Just last year, for example, our Lion’s City E was crowned ‘Bus of the Year 2023’ by the international ‘Bus & Coach of the Year’ jury.”

Media contact:

Sebastian Lindner
MAN Corporate Communications Bus & Digitalization
presse-man@man.eu
+49 89 1580-2001

SOURCE: MAN Truck & Bus