MAN and VW Group Logistics push battery-electric freight transport at the MAN Truck Forum, highlighting eTruck capability and reliability.
MAN’s eTrucks Have Covered Over 5 Million Kilometres Since Early 2025
Volkswagen (VW) Group Logistics and MAN Truck & Bus (MAN) held an event called MAN Truck Forum on November 5, 2025, which involved international logistics companies, charging park operators, charging station manufacturers, and customers with experience in operating eTrucks.
Held under the theme of “Together for sustainable logistics, together for zero emissions”, the forum was an initiative as part of VW Group Logistics and MAN‘s effort to “jointly drive forward the electrification of road freight transport”.
“In Group Logistics, we are continuously working to minimise the environmental impact of our transport operations. In addition to optimising our processes, our cross-brand initiative, goTozero, impact logistics focuses on sustainable technologies and energies as key levers for greater climate protection,” explained Simon Motter, Head of VW Group Logistics.
“In land transport in particular, the CO₂ emissions of diesel trucks are particularly high in relation to transport performance. That is why we see battery-electric vehicles as the most suitable technology for a more climate-friendly commercial vehicle fleet. Cooperation both within the Group and with our partners is crucial: our common goal is to protect the climate and conserve resources,” he emphasised.
Automotive supplier logistics is characterised by a high degree of standardisation. In many cases, load carriers with a height of one metre are used. A loading space height of a good three metres, therefore, allows three such load carriers to be stacked on top of each other. This requires trucks with a particularly low fifth-wheel height, known as ‘lowliners’ or ‘ultra-tractors’. Since the launch of its battery-electric eTGX and eTGS models in October 2023, MAN has been the only manufacturer to offer lowliner trucks.
Since early 2025, MAN electric trucks have covered more than five million kilometres in daily use among European logistics companies, underlining the versatility of the vehicle. MAN‘s eTruck features a modular battery system that allows customers to choose between range and payload. The company claimed that over 80 per cent of all truck applications can be covered by MAN eTrucks, from construction sites to logistical use.
“The first customers have already driven well over 100,000 kilometres with a MAN eTGX in just over a year. This shows that the battery trucks are reliable and practical. And more and more customers are coming to the same conclusion. We currently have around 1,000 orders for our eTrucks, and the trend is rising,” explained Friedrich Baumann, MAN Executive Board Member for Sales and Customer Solutions.
“In Germany, we have extended the toll exemption for zero-emission trucks until 2031. This is an important signal that gives our customers the necessary predictability. However, small and medium-sized enterprises need to be given more support in the form of financing programmes. The expansion of the charging infrastructure also needs further impetus in the form of faster approval procedures and the expansion of the electricity grids,” he added.
MAN‘s financing programmes are designed to enable economically sound but often not very capital-rich companies to make the transition, for example, through loans or guarantees.
