The official launch of the charging park project for electric lorries and buses took place today at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Dr Markus Söder, Bavarian Minister President, Christian Bernreiter, Bavarian State Minister for Housing, Construction and Transport, Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of FC Bayern München AG, Michael Diederich, Deputy CEO of FC Bayern München AG, Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, and Frederik Zohm, Chief Development Officer of MAN Truck & Bus, were all present. High-power and megawatt charging points are to be built in three planned expansion stages on the southern bus car park of the Allianz Arena. A total of 30 charging points are planned. This will allow up to 500 electric buses and lorries to be charged every day.
Large football stadiums such as the Allianz Arena have a very powerful electricity grid due to their high electricity requirements for floodlights, catering operations and other consumers, which is only fully utilised on match days. FC Bayern Munich and its long-standing sponsoring partner MAN Truck & Bus found the ideal conditions for setting up a commercial vehicle charging park and agreed on a corresponding project. Especially as the 100 per cent use of green electricity in the Allianz Arena makes the project even more climate-friendly..
The Allianz Arena is located directly at the busy Munich North motorway junction with its own motorway access: Up to 10,000 lorries a day pass through this important junction for European road freight traffic. An ideal location for the charging park. And FC Bayern will also need charging infrastructure for its own fleet in the future: MAN will deliver the first all-electric coach to FC Bayern as a team bus in the 2025/26 season.
Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of FC Bayern, explains the joint project with MAN: ‘Our society is facing major challenges, especially when it comes to protecting our environment and the climate. For us, the public charging park for commercial vehicles is a continuation of our sustainability efforts to manage the Allianz Arena in an increasingly climate-friendly way.’ Michael Diederich, Deputy CEO of FC Bayern, adds: ‘This project is of great importance to us, and I can think of no better partner than MAN to successfully realise it. Two strong companies from Bavaria are driving into the future in innovative ways and making an important contribution to electrification and climate neutrality in coach and truck transport.’
MAN Transport Solutions, MAN’s in-house consultancy for the switch to zero-emission vehicles, was deeply involved in the project. The consultants are supporting the planning and implementation of the public megawatt charging park. MAN Transport Solutions has been advising transport companies on the energy-efficient use of their vehicle fleets, electromobility and charging infrastructure since 2018. What began in the city bus sector, where the electrification of vehicle fleets is already firmly anchored in the market, the consulting expertise is now also benefiting the market launch of MAN’s large-series electric truck.
‘We will only achieve the Paris climate targets if we consistently decarbonise our vehicle fleets. Half of the trucks we produce each year should be electric by 2030. The charging infrastructure is the key to this. As a manufacturer, we are leading the way ourselves by setting up a public charging network in Europe at our service locations together with E.ON. But that alone is not enough. That’s why we are very grateful for fresh ideas and joint projects such as the one with FC Bayern. The charging park at the Allianz Arena will be a flagship project. From Bavaria for Bavaria and the world. It will shine far beyond the state’s borders,’ explains Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus.
According to estimates by the European manufacturers’ association ACEA, around 50,000 high-performance and megawatt charging points will be needed along the most important long-distance transport routes across Europe by 2030. One of these is being built at the Allianz Arena. In future, electric lorries and buses will be able to charge their batteries here. The vehicles are now ready for the market. There are already 2,000 order enquiries and orders for the new e-truck from MAN. MAN was the market leader for electric city buses in Europe in 2023. In 2025, the first e-coach is to go into test operation and be handed over to FC Bayern as a long-standing partner in the 2025/26 season.
Maximum flexibility with MCS and CCS charging
From the start of sales in October 2023, the new MAN eTruck will offer a daily range of 600 to 800 kilometres. And future-proof charging technology is right on board: ‘With megawatt charging technology (MCS), our MAN eTruck with its battery of up to 534 kWh can cover a range of 300 to 400 kilometres during the driver’s break from driving. This corresponds to charging 10 to 80 per cent of the existing battery capacity,’ explained Dr Frederik Zohm, Chief Development Officer at MAN Truck & Bus, during the official launch of the commercial vehicle charging park at the Allianz Arena. The new MAN eTruck can also be equipped with CCS charging, for example for overnight charging at depots. For greater flexibility, the CCS connection can be positioned on the right or left side of the vehicle, or on the right at the rear of the vehicle in the case of chassis. If the MCS connection, which is always positioned on the driver’s side, is omitted, a combination of two CCS connections is also possible.
SOURCE: MAN Truck & Bus
