MAN Truck & Bus has launched a 3,000-kilometre demonstration run of its battery-electric eTGX semitrailer truck, travelling from the Arctic Circle to Munich exclusively using public charging infrastructure.
The seven-day tour, which began on 20 March and ends on 26 March, is intended to test the vehicle’s performance in long-distance haulage under real-world conditions and winter temperatures.
The vehicle used in the trial is the new long-haul variant of the MAN eTGX, which offers a modular battery system and is capable of an estimated 500-kilometre range. Depending on the route and available infrastructure, the vehicle is expected to cover between 400 and 600 kilometres per day.
The lorry is being recharged using publicly accessible charging points only, with route planning and payment managed through the company’s MAN Charge&Go service.
The tour began north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden and follows a route along the Swedish east coast to Stockholm, before crossing to Malmö, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Schweinfurt, and finally Munich.
According to MAN, the tour is intended to show that fully electric, trans-European road freight is already technically feasible with existing public infrastructure. However, the company also points out that significant investment is still needed to support wider deployment, especially in high-capacity charging stations suitable for heavy goods vehicles.
The lorry used for the tour features MAN’s new modular battery configuration options, with customers able to choose between four, five or six battery packs and two power ratings (449 hp and 544 hp). The vehicle is compatible with both standard CCS charging at up to 375 kW and the new Megawatt Charging System (MCS), which enables charging at up to 1 MW, although the press release did not confirm which system is used on the current tour.
In parallel with the road test, MAN is promoting its driver training and consulting services designed to support operators transitioning to electric trucks.
