The MAN Lion’s City E was recently driven 550 kilometres on a public transport route in Munich, Germany, on a single battery charge. 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 team paid particular attention to testing the electric bus under conditions that were as realistic as possible. As a result, the MAN Lion’s City E ran on an actual route, stopped at every bus stop, opened its doors and closed them again. In addition, weights were used to simulate average utilisation by passengers.
Rudi Kuchta, head of business unit – Bus, MAN Truck & Bus, said: “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; e-mobility is now suitable for everyday use. 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.”
The success is partly due to the sophisticated battery cell technology developed by the Volkswagen Group, which MAN is able to use for the e-bus. In addition, sophisticated temperature management ensures an exceptionally high level of availability, regardless of the time of year. As a result, the Lion’s City E ensures that the range is up to 270 km over the entire service life of the batteries.
Alongside innovative technologies, efficient driving also plays a critical role when it comes to range. As a result, experienced drivers from MAN ProfiDrive were behind the wheel for the test run in Munich.
“It is important not to underestimate the influence of the driver. That is why we are offering special driver training for our e-bus. The trainings focus on economical driving”, said said Heinz Kiess, head of product marketing – Bus, MAN Truck & Bus.