MAN eTGM: Schwarz Logistik commits to fully electric distribution truck

• Schwarz Logistik GmbH is putting its first battery-powered electric truck into operation.
• The MAN eTGM, with its total permissible weight of 26 tonnes, will deliver supplies to ZEISS in Oberkochen.
• The MAN eTGM went into small-series production at the end of 2019.

Schwarz Logistik GmbH, a subsidiary of the Schwarz Group, recently put a fully electric MAN eTGM into operation. The new electric truck will be used to deliver production supplies to the optics and electronics group ZEISS in Oberkochen. Specifically, the vehicle will bring preliminary products from the Schwarz logistics centre in Herbrechtingen to Oberkochen three to four times a day for just-in-time delivery to ZEISS. A charging station installed right alongside the loading ramp allows for reliable charging of the MAN eTGM. This ensures that the loading period is used to supply the electric truck with the electrical energy it requires. In order to guarantee the most sustainable operation of the swap body vehicle, Schwarz is currently working on an intelligent charge control system to charge the electric truck with solar energy during the day and at weekends via its own solar panels on the roof of the logistics centre.

“It is enormously beneficial that we at the Schwarz Group are able to play an active role in shaping the e-mobility movement at an early stage. This allows us to offer our customers emission-free transport solutions that are available at short notice,” emphasised Managing Director Thomas Schwarz on the day the fully electric truck was handed over.

The MAN eTGM went into small-series production in November 2019 and meets all of the key demands placed on the inner-city goods transport services of the future: It is quiet and operates with zero local emissions. At the same time, the truck’s payload is great enough that it can take care of its usual transportation tasks. This electric truck, which is designed for medium and heavy-duty distribution transport, can be configured as a vehicle with a refrigerated body, a swap body or a beverage container body. The fully electric distribution vehicle has a total permissible weight of 26 tonnes and is powered by a 264 kW (360 hp) electric motor, which provides a maximum torque of 3,100 Nm. Auxiliary units such as power steering, air compressors and the air-conditioning system are electric, with the energy management system controlling them as required to ensure energy savings.

By means of brake energy recovery (so-called “recuperation”) the kinetic energy of the vehicle when coasting and braking is converted into electrical energy and returned to the battery storage. This can significantly increase the range. A display in the cockpit informs the driver about the batteries’ current energy level. The power for the truck is delivered by high-performance lithium-ion batteries from the Volkswagen Group. These are located beneath the cab above the front axle, where the diesel driveline is located in conventional vehicles. Other batteries can be found on the vehicle frame. Depending on the field of application and climatic and topographic conditions, the MAN eTGM boasts a range of up to 200 kilometres. The batteries can be charged using alternating current with a charging capacity of 22 or 44 kW, or with 150 kW of direct current in what is known as “high-power charging”.

“We are delighted that we are able to play a leading role in a movement as pioneering as e-mobility in Baden-Württemberg, together with innovative companies such as the Schwarz Group,” says Björn Brückmann, Regional Sales Manager Truck Southwest at MAN Truck & Bus Deutschland GmbH.

To make the transition to e-mobility as easy as possible, MAN Truck & Bus offers its customers a bespoke, comprehensive and solution-oriented consultation service from MAN Transport Solutions when they are purchasing an eTGM. In addition, drivers of an MAN eTGM are offered a driver training course with MAN ProfiDrive, which has been put together with the specific aim of addressing the challenges of driving a fully electric vehicle.