Electrification, MAN and Volkswagen work on group synergies. “But we need to be supported by EU institutions”

MAN and Volkswagen seem increasingly united on the road to decarbonization. Following the announcement of some valuable partnerships, for instance the one with Moon Power in Italy, MAN organized an event in Munich on the electrification of heavy transport. The goal was to gather together key players in the industry and supply chain (transport companies, charging infrastructure manufacturers, logistics partners, etc.) to understand where we are on the path that will lead the industry to achieve the ambitious goals set by the EU Commission for 2040.

An event shared nby MAN and Volkswagen

A digital press conference was organized on the sidelines of the event, which we had the pleasure of attending. “As we all know, series production of our electric trucks has begun, with around 300 vehicles already on the road in Europe, not counting the pre-series. MAN has already received around 1,000 orders, which will be fulfilled in the coming months. We have accumulated around 5 million km so far and are currently analyzing and validating the data and performance. In terms of range, the results are even better than we could have expected. In short, we feel that we are at the beginning of a real transformation.” These words were spoken by Friedrich Baumann, Member of the MAN Executive Board for Sales and Customer Service.

At his side was Simon Motter, Head of Volkswagen Group Logistics, who reiterated the commitment of the entire Volkswagen Group to achieving the climate targets set out in the Paris Agreement. A representative of Nanno Janssen, a German transport company with a fleet of around 70 vehicles, about half of which are electric, also took part in the press conference. This process began in 2021, initially facilitated by incentives made available by the German government, but has continued since then. “The increase in the range of electric trucks on the market in recent years has allowed us to use them for longer distances than in the beginning,” he said. “We recently ordered another 25 electric trucks without counting on incentives. The toll exemption for electric trucks is very important to us, as it reduces the vehicle TCO. The implementation of the ETS 2 (recently extended from 2027 to 2028, ed.) will be another aspect to consider. The bulk of our electric vehicle activities take place in Germany, but we have experience in several European countries, as far as Southern Italy.”

“Truck makers have done their homework”

We didn’t miss the opportunity to ask for clarification on the next steps. Starting with what the Volkswagen Group expects from Europe at a time of debate and review of the roadmap. “We expect to be supported in the efforts we are making,” replied Simon Motter, “although our expectations are rather low in this regard. We need stable and secure rules, especially with regard to infrastructure, as well as stable and affordable electricity prices across the continent.”

On the issue of charging infrastructure, Friedrich Baumann also insisted, convinced of the advancements of the Milence project (even if the initial targets of 1,700 public charging points in Europe by 2027 are unlikely to be met; CEO van Niersen herself has stated that it is possible to reach 900 by the same date) but also of the need to rely on charging stations installed in depots. And on fines: “We manufacturers have done our homework. To date, every percentage point of deviation from European targets will cost us a lot of money, and we don’t think that’s fair. We can’t force companies to buy electric trucks, so we need the cooperation of European institutions in this regard.”