MAN Truck & Bus has announced a small production run of the MAN TGM 26.360 E LL distribution truck. An all-electric vehicle being built at the MAN plant in Steyr, Austria.

Since autumn 2018, MAN Truck & Bus, together with nine Austrian customers from the CNL Council for Sustainable Logistics consortium, has been carrying out practical testing of e-trucks.

The nine companies - Gebrüder Weiss, HOFER, Magna Steyr, METRO, Quehenberger Logistics, REWE, Schachinger Logistik, SPAR and Stieglbrauerei - are each operating a MAN eTGM electric truck.

MAN is now taking the next step on the road to emissions-free distribution by launching sales of the small production-run MAN eTGM.

MAN says that eTGM meets all the essential demands for the urban delivery traffic of the future. It emits zero emissions in local operation, and runs quietly. And the truck has a payload capacity comparable to its counterpart with a conventional combustion engine.

The e-truck for medium and heavy-duty distribution traffic can be configured as a refrigerated vehicle with either a swap body or beverage body.

The all-electric MAN eTGM distribution vehicle is offered in a three-axle 6x2-4 chassis configuration as a 26-tonner with a steerable and liftable trailing axle and four-corner air suspension.

The electric distribution vehicle is powered by a 264 kW electric motor, developing a maximum torque of 3,100 Nm.

Auxiliary units such as power steering, air compressors and the air-conditioning system are operated electrically, are controlled as required by the energy management system and are thus energy-saving.

Brake energy is recovered (referred to as “recuperation”): when decelerating and braking, the vehicle’s motive energy is converted into electrical energy and fed back into the battery. This technology can significantly increase the vehicle’s range, it says.

A display in the cockpit informs the driver about the batteries’ current energy level. The truck is powered by lithium-ion batteries made by the Volkswagen Group, which are located underneath the cab on top of the front axle, where conventional vehicles have their diesel power train. Additional batteries are located on the vehicle frame.

The range is up to 200 kilometres, depending on the area of application, climatic conditions and topography.

In order to make the transition to e-mobility as easy and successful as possible, MAN says it provides its customers with a team of experts to assist them with the purchase of an eTGM, offering tailored, solution-oriented advice - from needs analysis, fleet configuration, charging infrastructure and energy management through to the all-embracing, economically optimal transport solution.

Additionally, MAN eTGM drivers are provided with training specially designed to meet the demands of driving an all-electric vehicle.