Twelve electric trucks, twelve teams, around 300 kilometres under power: that’s the E.ON eTruckathon. MAN Truck & Bus took part with its MAN eTGX, making a further statement in favour of electric mobility for commercial vehicles. The eTruckathon demonstrated the practicality of electric trucks and the associated charging infrastructure. Marc Spieker, Chief Operating Officer at E.ON, explained: ‘With the eTruckathon, we are bringing together the leading players in the industry and providing a practical insight into the current possibilities of environmentally friendly heavy goods transport.’
In addition to some vehicle manufacturers, such as MAN, logistics companies also took part in the driving demonstration. Logistics companies DB Schenker, DHL, Elflein Transport & Logistik, Fiege and Gruber Logistics took to the track with their own electric trucks. This shows that MAN Truck & Bus customers are also focussing on the transformation. The starting point was the E.ON Drive TestingLab in Essen. The approximately 300-kilometre route covered motorways and country roads. The destination was the exhibition centre in Hanover. The experiences and findings from the first eTruckathon will be presented at the IAA TRANSPORTATION.
E.ON and MAN Truck & Bus are also working together to expand the charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles. As part of their co-operation, the energy company and the commercial vehicle manufacturer will be setting up around 170 locations with around 400 public charging points at MAN service stations across Europe. The first three locations will be put into operation this year. By the end of 2025, there will be 80 charging locations.
SOURCE: MAN Truck & Bus
