- In 1970, MAN Truck & Bus offered its first purely electrical scheduled-service bus
- On the 1972 Munich Olympics, high athletes travelled in electrical buses from MAN
- MAN is now launching a sustainable, absolutely electrical sequence automobile within the type of the MAN Lion’s Metropolis E – to fulfill the present challenges of public transport
- Whether or not electrical, pure fuel or hybrid – MAN buses with different drives have been setting the benchmark for many years and are in use all over the world
- A deal with environmental safety and sustainability – yesterday, right now and tomorrow
It’s unimaginable to consider sustainable mobility with out contemplating e-mobility. With out it, the vitality idea of the long run is sort of inconceivable. And but, the revolutionary know-how isn’t new – a minimum of, not for MAN. It’s because MAN’s first electrical bus was unveiled again in 1970. In the present day, 50 years later, MAN Truck & Bus is launching a state-of-the-art, absolutely electrical sequence automobile within the type of the MAN Lion’s Metropolis E. The primary mass-produced buyer autos can be delivered within the final quarter of 2020. “The innovation and ingenuity of MAN is demonstrated by the truth that, 5 many years in the past, we have been one of many first firms to deal with e-mobility in any respect and that we now have been selling different drives significantly for a few years,” says Rudi Kuchta, Head of Enterprise Unit Bus at MAN Truck & Bus. He provides: “Now that the time and market are proper for this pioneering know-how, and the political framework suits, we are able to provide our clients an electrical bus as a sequence automobile which impresses with refined know-how and a sustainable general idea. Not solely does the electrical motor come from inside our personal 4 partitions, however we additionally develop the experience that’s essential within the electrical bus – such because the battery know-how – inside the Group. Moreover we are able to assist our clients with expert and complete recommendation, as a way to make their entry into the world of e-mobility so simple as doable.”
The way it all started: MAN’s first electrical bus
On 13 February 1970, at the side of accomplice firms RWE, Bosch and Varta, MAN offered a purely electrical scheduled-service bus to representatives of the press from throughout Germany following two years of improvement. The 750 HO-M10 E mannequin was offered on the brand new check monitor 1 on the Munich plant. The bus was to “make a optimistic contribution inside the business to fight air air pollution and noise on inner-city roads,” acknowledged a press launch from MAN. As a result of ever-advancing “wave of motorisation”, even again then calls have been made to enhance the prevailing circumstances within the cities. “To be able to achieve our personal expertise and to make a contribution for individuals and the setting, in the beginning of the 70s MAN determined to deal with this problem,” says Henning Stibbe, Head of the Historic Archive at MAN Truck & Bus.
In January 1971, eleven months after the presentation and following complete manufacturing unit testing, MAN handed over the prototype to the transport firm in Koblenz for a one-year check sequence in common service operation. The electrical bus, which served Route 7, was capable of transport 99 passengers and had a variety of fifty kilometres. The batteries have been housed in a trailer and assured a driving time of two to a few hours. One other single-axle trailer with batteries stood prepared in a altering station in order that the batteries might be changed rapidly as quickly as they have been flat. “Along with guaranteeing that the electrical bus was always accessible, the very fact that there have been two trailer modules with batteries was advantageous because the batteries might be charged with low cost off-peak electrical energy,” says Stibbe. As much as June 1971, the MAN electrical bus clocked up round 6,000 kilometres with none vital faults and with none exhaust emissions by any means in common service in Koblenz.
However it isn’t simply in Koblenz that MAN buses with different drives have been used. In 1972 in the course of the Olympic Video games in Munich, the athletes have been chauffeured forwards and backwards between the Olympic Park and the Olympic Village in two electrical and eight pure fuel buses. For as much as 20 hours day by day, the autos did their rounds and dropped the highest athletes from all over the world off at their vacation spot, safely and in an eco-friendly method.
Two years later, on 15 October 1974, MAN handed over the primary new battery-driven electrical buses to the town of Mönchengladbach. The second-generation SL-E electrical buses have been in use there till 1979. New options included their battery items, which have been expanded by 50 p.c, and the reworked trailer module. It was due to this fact doable to attain ranges of as much as 80 kilometres and to vary the batteries fully mechanically. Dusseldorf and Frankfurt am Foremost additionally leveraged some great benefits of the electrical buses from MAN and efficiently deployed these in native public transport. The emission-free and virtually silent operation of the buses was successful.
Yesterday, right now and tomorrow – MAN a pioneer in environmentally pleasant buses
However for a few years now, MAN hasn’t simply been making an vital contribution to sustaining clear air and combating noise in inside cities via its electrical buses. Alongside extremely environment friendly diesel engines that are always present process additional improvement, for a few years MAN Truck & Bus has been providing hybrid drives, in addition to engines for operation with pure fuel. This additionally means MAN is the market and know-how chief for metropolis buses with natural-gas drives in Europe.
The primary MAN metropolis bus with fuel drive was premièred greater than 75 years in the past. It was deployed in native public transport in Nuremberg. The automobile was operated with a trailer. It was doable to extend the vary considerably because the fuel tanks have been positioned on the roofs of the bus and trailer. A particular component was additionally that MAN constructed the whole automobile, which was particularly designed for operation with fuel. The experience for this got here from coach development. MAN Truck & Bus launched a very new fuel engine available on the market for the IAA 2018 – the MAN E1856 LOH. Amongst different issues, it impresses with wonderful financial effectivity and very low exhaust emissions. It will also be mixed with MAN EfficientHybrid, and thus be operated much more effectively.
MAN has been researching hybrid bridging know-how for the reason that Nineteen Seventies. It helps to scale back emissions. Because of long-standing expertise with electrified drivelines and parts, MAN sequence hybrid buses have been rolling off the manufacturing line since 2011. Since then MAN has offered over 800 of the profitable MAN Lion’s Metropolis Hybrid (A37) from the earlier metropolis bus technology. And a rising variety of clients are choosing this clear and environment friendly hybrid answer for navigating inner-city visitors. “The hybrid bus is on pattern. It is step one in the direction of emission-free transport,” says Rudi Kuchta and provides: “Many cities are responding to the present challenges of city mobility, and transport operators are aiming to scale back the emissions and gas consumption of their rising fleets. Following the profitable Lion’s Metropolis Hybrid mannequin, the brand new metropolis bus technology with MAN EfficientHybrid gives the proper answer right here, thus persevering with the story of success. That is additionally mirrored in our gross sales figures. Virtually all present metropolis bus deliveries are pushed by environment friendly hybrid know-how.”
Each the brand new D15 diesel engine and the fully new E18 fuel engine from the present MAN Lion’s Metropolis household can optionally be mixed with MAN EfficientHybrid. The system performs a substantial half in decreasing gas consumption and emissions. Right here, the usual cease/begin operate ensures quiet and emissions-free stops in metropolis visitors. “Because of the brand new know-how, for the primary time the bus could be fully switched off throughout an interim cease at bus stops or visitors lights. We’re to date the one firm to supply this operate of the MAN EfficientHybrid available on the market,” highlights Kuchta.
Builders deal with environmental safety and sustainability
Purely electrical drives are due to this fact simply certainly one of many drive applied sciences that MAN engineers have been working arduous on growing and bettering for many years. The purpose of MAN Truck & Bus has all the time been to scale back bus gas consumption and emissions for the long run. And it has been profitable on this endeavour – the everlasting enhance in effectivity of the diesel engine and the expertise with electrical, pure fuel and hybrid buses exhibit the excessive stage of experience of MAN in relation to drivelines. “In terms of different drive ideas, our buses have all the time set the benchmark. To be able to present our clients with state-of-the-art mobility options sooner or later, too, we are going to proceed to channel all of our experience and dedication into the continuous enchancment of current applied sciences and into the event of recent ones,” says Rudi Kuchta, summarising.
