24 hours in service, no intermediate charging, 550.8 kilometre range – this is the impressive result of a MAN e-bus trial that was carried out on 18 May in Munich under real-world conditions. The MAN Lion’s City E impressively demonstrated that e-mobility is now capable of day-to-day operation – and is a genuine alternative for local public transport.

• MAN eBus Efficiency Run: Lion’s City E offers impressive 550.8 kilometre range under real day-to-day conditions
• This range will enable MAN customers to operate around 99 percent of their routes with no intermediate charging
• Test run on the MVG 176 / X80 line: Lion’s City E drove with a load and stopped at every bus stop
• TÜV SÜD monitors electric bus run on behalf of MAN
• Lion’s City E is now a fully-electric sustainable standard solution for local public transport

“It’s really incredible what the drivers and vehicle managed to do. The MAN Lion’s City E drove 550 kilometres on a local public transport route under realistic conditions – all on a single battery charge. We’re absolutely delighted with this great result. Finally, we have clearly demonstrated that e-mobility is now suitable for everyday use,” said Rudi Kuchta, Head of Business Unit Bus at MAN Truck & Bus. Along with his team, he sent out a MAN Lion’s City 12 E for the “MAN eBus Efficiency Run” on the Munich transport authority (MVG) lines 176 and X80. The fully electric city bus ran for exactly 24 hours on the routes between Karlsfelder Straße, Moosacher and Puchheimer station, with drivers from MAN ProfiDrive behind the wheel. The MAN eBus Efficiency Run was also accompanied by a journalist and experts from official testing body TÜV SÜD, who sealed the charging socket on the bus before setting off, removed the seal at the end of the day and testified to the range driven.

“Our aim was to demonstrate that you can achieve a very high range with our Lion’s City E under genuine everyday conditions. And after driving a total distance of 550 kilometres, we can say we definitely achieved it,” said Kuchta. 

He added: “As well as availability and reliability, the issue of range is a crucial factor for our customers. Ultimately, in the future a single electric vehicle needs to be able to take over lines that were previously operated using a single vehicle with an internal combustion engine, fitting seamlessly into the overall operation. With a range of 550 kilometres, this is possible without intermediate charging in 99 percent of cases. This means that customers can charge their buses in the depot and do not have to invest in additional technology along the route – a crucial advantage.” 

Even ranges of “only” 400 kilometres or 300 kilometres would cover 98 and 89 percent respectively of routes operated by MAN customers. This is shown by an analysis of 1,325 routes carried out by experts from MAN Transport Solutions as part of their e-mobility consultancy for companies operating local public transport. Back in 2018, MAN Transport Solutions division began to offer know-how and services to make it as easy as possible for customers to get started with e-mobility.