Electric MAN trucks launch in UK
The payload of the 4×2 tractor can exceed that of a diesel equivalent
MAN has launched its 42-tonne 4×2 battery-electric tractor unit, the eTGX, in the UK. If fitted with four (out of a possible maximum of six) battery packs, it offers a superior payload to the equivalent 40-tonne GVW diesel tractor unit, according to MAN Truck & Bus UK product manager Ashlea Awbery, and maximum range is between 600 and 800 km on a single charge.
Mr Awbery pointed out that a truck driven at maximum speed for the maximum number of hours available in a single shift could theoretically cover 890 km, so the range should be adequate for most applications.
The truck is available with a choice of motor outputs of 330 or 400 kW (450 or 544 hp equivalent) driving through a four-speed transmission to a conventional rear drive-axle. A 245 kW, two-speed driveline is also offered, and will find its main application in 4×2 rigid chassis (Transport Operator 126). There’s no actual reverse gear: the truck is made to go backwards by reversing the motor.
Four, five, or six traction battery packs can be specified: each pack weighing 800 kg, with a three-battery option on the light 4×2 rigid. Mr Awbery said that operators who wanted chassis space for additional equipment on the tractor would likely choose the five-battery option, and there is provision for a mechanical PTO, which is driven directly from the centrally-mounted power unit. An electrical PTO can also be utilised, with a 75 kW continuous (90 kW max) output. This would be sufficient for many applications, he said, pointing out that a concrete-mixer body only consumed around 60 kW in operation.
Auxiliary items such as the compressors for the air-brakes and air-conditioning are powered directly by high-voltage supply from the traction batteries. The air con could be operated while the truck was parked.
Mr Awbery admitted that all EVs lose range in the winter, as batteries have to be kept at between 15 and 25°C. However, energy was conserved by using waste heat from the cooling circuit for the motors to warm the cab and the traction batteries. While there’s no internal-combustion engine, the truck still needs a radiator in the conventional position for cooling the various systems.
The batteries installed in the eTGX were designed at MAN’s Nuremberg facility
Optimum performance could be obtained by pre-conditioning: for instance heating the cab, defrosting the windscreen, and warming the batteries while the truck was still tethered to the charger.
A range of medium and full-width cabs were available, in day, low-roof and high-roof sleeper configurations.
Different driving modes can be selected, including a ‘one-pedal’ mode where regenerative braking is activated as soon as the accelerator pedal is released. If required, the service brakes can be brought into play via the conventional pedal, but this is really only needed in emergencies and when bringing the vehicle to a halt.
Mr Awbery said testing had shown that this reduced usage did not impact on the friction-brake’s performance.
Roger Turnbull, head of e-truck sales, said it was vital that operators took on the manufacturer’s consultation package as part of the acquisition process.
His team would work with customers from pre-order, through the ordering process and after delivery of the truck.
The trucks could handle most transport tasks but could not be just dropped in to replace diesels.
David Watts, electric vehicle consultant at MAN Truck and Bus, emphasised that the most important aspect of introducing electric vehicles to a fleet was establishing the charging infrastructure.
The instrument panel shows the speed and battery state
“It’s 70 per cent of the change, 20 per cent is the vehicle and 10 per cent the driver.
“Charging a truck requires five times as much energy as charging a car.
“The MAN product is perfectly suitable for long-haul, but the UK’s charging infrastructure does not yet enable it,” he warned.
“There are three ways to charge: back to base, base and destination, and intermediately.”
The first would be possible for all operators, and the second for some operations, but the third would have to wait for suitable infrastructure. There was currently only one public truck-charging station in the UK.
MAN’s parent company Traton, together with Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, had formed the Milence joint venture, which would open 1700 dedicated truck and coach charging stations across Europe in the next five years.
The first Milence stations in the UK would open in 2025-6, Mr Watts promised.
Most secondary driving functions are controlled via this single stalk
Driving the eTGX
The eTGX is arguably easier to drive than its diesel counterpart. You just engage forward or reverse mode and one or two-pedal driving via the right-hand control stalk and press the throttle. The parking-brake disengages automatically, and off you go.
On the test truck with an unladen three-axle fridge trailer there was a minimum of fuss and noise, and no vibration: even when accelerating up an incline out of a tight turn.
Depending upon mode selection, you either get regenerative braking when you take your foot ‘off the gas’ or in the first phase of footbraking. Canny drivers may well go for two-pedal braking when setting out fully-charged as this allows freewheeling to preserve momentum, then switch to one-pedal once there is room in the batteries for all the energy that can be harvested by maximising regeneration.
There’s a thankfully fairly simple TFT instrument panel. In standard mode this has a battery/charging state monitor where the rev-counter would be on a diesel, and if this proves a distraction (for example in urban driving) the dash and be switched to a ‘speedo-only’ display.
The truck itself seems set up to reward a progressive driving style that will maximise range. A turbine-smooth driveline combined with barely discernible gearchanges means you feel little need to mash the pedals into the cab floor.
