E.ON and MAN to Build Public Charging Network for Electric Trucks in Europe
E.ON and MAN Truck & Bus are jointly taking a decisive step forward in the expansion of the charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles in Germany and Europe. As part of their new cooperation, the energy company and the commercial vehicle manufacturer will set up around 170 locations with around 400 stations for public charging of electric trucks across Europe. E.ON and MAN are investing in the new charging stations, which will be built along the existing MAN service network and will also be able to charge commercial vehicles from other manufacturers. Around 125 sites are planned in Germany alone. This will create the largest nationwide public charging network for heavy commercial vehicles in the country to date. Additional sites are being built in Austria, the UK, Denmark, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
“Europe has set itself the goal of reducing emissions from heavy commercial vehicles by 90 percent by 2040. Electric mobility is a central key to achieving this goal,” said Leonhard Birnbaum, CEO of E.ON. “We are investing heavily to give the infrastructure for electric heavy goods transport a decisive boost and to set the course for sustainable logistics and green supply chains. Nearly all major manufacturers are now focusing their development efforts on electric mobility. For the final breakthrough, we need a high-performance charging infrastructure that is designed on a European scale. We are delighted to be leading the way together with MAN.”
“For the mobility transition to be successful, we need around 50,000 charging points for heavy commercial vehicles in Europe by 2030. As a manufacturer of electric trucks, we are of course making our contribution to this. I am delighted that E.ON is now a strong partner for the electrification of our service locations. We are thus laying another foundation stone for a public charging network. However, we still urgently need the support of policymakers to build this network on a large scale,” Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, added.
The new sites will be located at strategically selected MAN service bases, primarily in industrial areas with high truck volumes or near motorways. This means that public charging can be easily integrated into daily operations. The layout of the sites is specially designed for charging electric commercial vehicles: This includes a drive-through facility through the charging station so that trucks and buses do not have to maneuver. Wherever possible, the stations are installed in separate areas from the MAN service operations – with separate entrances and exits for the charging area – to ensure that they are accessible to the public, regardless of the make of vehicle. During the day, drivers also benefit from the existing infrastructure, such as sanitary facilities and recreation rooms.
The sites will be built in a modular fashion. As a first step, each site will be equipped with several 400 kilowatt charging stations. This will allow an average electric truck to recharge for a range of up to 300 kilometers in about 45 minutes. Later, the sites will be upgraded to the MCS megawatt charging system.
Cross-industry commitment to speed up the expansion of truck charging infrastructure
The first 80 sites of the new charging network are to be built by the end of 2025.
“The partnership with MAN Truck & Bus is a key milestone on the road to a sustainable future for heavy-duty transport. By combining MAN’s extensive service network with E.ON’s expertise in charging infrastructure, we are setting a new standard for electromobility in the commercial vehicle sector,” Sukhjinder Singh, CEO of E.ON subsidiary E.ON Drive Infrastructure, noted.
“With our new eTruck, we are launching series production this year of a vehicle that is suitable for almost all applications. The response has been very positive. However, the right charging infrastructure will ultimately decide whether our customers actually switch from diesel to electric drive. I am therefore delighted that we are now tackling the electrification of our service network together with E.ON,” Friedrich Baumann, Executive Board Member for Sales and Customer Solutions at MAN Truck & Bus SE, highlighted.
The political goals for decarbonizing transport in Germany and Europe are clear: the German government wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy goods traffic in Germany by 55 percent by 2030 and to be climate neutral by 2045. The EU recently agreed to reduce CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles by 65 percent by 2035 and 90 percent by 2040 compared to 2019 levels. Against this backdrop, the industry is investing heavily in vehicles and infrastructure.
The electrification of MAN’s product portfolio is gathering pace. The first production-ready electric truck with a daily range of up to 800 kilometers is in the starting blocks for 2024. The range of the electric city buses will be extended by a product update next year. MAN also plans to put its first test fleet of electric coaches on the road in 2025. Meanwhile, as a full-service provider for electromobility and charging solutions, E.ON already offers access to a comprehensive network of more than 500,000 car charging points across Europe. Companies and municipalities also benefit from customized charging infrastructure and electrification strategies for their fleets. E.ON also contributes its expertise in financing, site analysis and grid connection. Grid expansion and digitalization are not only essential for the future supply of renewable energy, but also for an efficient charging infrastructure.
About E.ON
E.ON is an international investor-owned energy company headquartered in Essen, Germany, which focuses on energy networks, customer solutions and energy sales. As one of Europe’s largest energy companies, E.ON plays a leading role in shaping a sustainable, digital, decentralized world of energy. To this end, around 75,000 employees develop and sell products and solutions for private, commercial and industrial customers. More than 47 million customers purchase electricity, gas, digital products or solutions for electric mobility, energy efficiency and climate protection from E.ON.
E.ON Drive Infrastructure (EDRI) is a pan-European charging station operator belonging to the E.ON Group that combines network development, construction and operation of public charging infrastructure for electric cars and commercial vehicles. EDRI draws on decades of energy expertise. The E.ON Group’s portfolio also includes solutions to support private customers, companies and fleet operators in the transition to electric mobility. E.ON has set itself the goal of becoming one of the leading operators of charging infrastructure in Europe by 2030.
About MAN Truck & Bus
MAN Truck & Bus is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles and providers of transport solutions with annual sales of around €14.8 billion (2023). Its product portfolio includes vans, trucks, buses, diesel and gas engines as well as services for passenger and freight transport. MAN sees electric drives for commercial vehicles as a decisive factor on the way to locally emission-free, climate-friendly mobility. MAN Truck & Bus is a member of the TRATON GROUP and employs approximately 33,000 people worldwide.
