And so, like in the past, every two years, the IAA for commercial vehicles in Hanover from September 20th to 25th is approaching, the challenge for the exhibiting manufacturers to present something new. Unfortunately, electromobility in commercial vehicles is still a long way from being as advanced as it is in passenger cars.

The other manufacturers have already made progress, so MAN urgently needs to follow urgently. It is no longer about distribution traffic, where the task was still relatively solvable. There was enough space between the axles to hang batteries on the side of the chassis. Such vehicles have long been in the hands of MAN customers as eTGMs for testing purposes.

But heavy-duty traffic does not get by with 264 kW (360 hp) and certainly not with 185 kWh of available battery capacity. Even the range of 190 km specified here by the manufacturer is unacceptable for long-distance traffic. Conversely, however, such a semitrailer tractor does not know where to stow away these and any additional batteries.

In the eTruck prototype from MAN, the space under the driver's cab freed up by the combustion engine is also used. The car should not be ready for series production until 2024. That's why one takes the liberty not to name any technical data, only the daily range of 600 to 800 km. If you compare that with the eTGM, the capacity would have to be roughly tripled.

Perhaps one assumes recharging during the prescribed breaks, but at the same time the higher consumption compared to distribution traffic would have to be taken into account. The vehicles are not even then simply ordered, paid for and delivered, but an overall concept is tailored for potential customers.

Because the public infrastructure is not yet recognizable. After all, 185 kWh need almost a whole night to charge at the 22 kW that predominate in companies. However, there are already operators here with e.g. 43 kW DC chargers. Even that is not enough for long-distance trains and is simply not available at rest areas for trucks, for example.

The eTruck is therefore only something for companies with a transport requirement exclusively between locations that are not too far away and, if possible, with chargers comparable to those for cars. However, MAN's secret will probably remain for a while how this range can be achieved even approximately with a semi-trailer tractor.