The two companies are teaming up to develop the charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles in Germany and Europe. Together, they want to set up around 170 locations across the continent, including around 400 public charging points for electric trucks. These will be built along MAN’s existing service network, but vehicles from other brands will be able to use them.
“Around 125 locations are planned in Germany alone – this will create the largest public charging network for heavy commercial vehicles in the country to date,” reported the truck manufacturer in an official announcement.
E.ON and MAN will build further points in Austria, the UK, Denmark, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.
“Europe has set itself the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from heavy commercial vehicles by 90 per cent by 2040. Electromobility is the key to this,” said Leonhard Birnbaum, CEO of E.ON. “We are investing massively to decisively reinvigorate the [charging – editor’s note] infrastructure for heavy electric transport and set the course for sustainable logistics and green supply chains. Almost all major manufacturers now rely on electromobility in their projects. In order to make the ultimate breakthrough, we need a comprehensive, high-performance charging infrastructure designed from the outset with a European character in mind.”
According to Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, around 50,000 charging points for trucks in Europe are needed to make the transition to electromobility a success. In addition to initiatives by manufacturers and energy suppliers, political support is also needed, Vlaskamp believes.
Charging stations
Charging stations will, according to the companies, be located at strategically selected MAN service bases, primarily in industrial areas with heavy truck traffic or near motorways.
“This means that charging in public areas can be easily integrated into everyday activities. The location layout is specifically designed for charging electric commercial vehicles: this includes being able to pass through the loading ramp so that trucks and buses do not have to manoeuvre. In order to ensure public accessibility regardless of vehicle make, charging stations will be installed as far as possible in areas separate from MAN services – with their own entrance and exit,” reads the manufacturer’s announcement.
The first 80 locations of the new charging network are expected to be built by the end of 2025. In the first phase, each will be equipped with several 400 kW charging points. This means that an average electric truck will be able to charge its batteries in around 45 minutes, which will translate into a range of up to 300 kilometres. A later adaptation of the sites for a megawatt MCS charging system is planned.