MAN to produce batteries in Germany

Worth around €100 million investment, the manufacturing expansion in Nuremberg to produce batteries will secure 350 jobs and handle a capacity of over 100 000 battery systems per year.

From the beginning of 2025, MAN Truck & Bus will manufacture high-voltage batteries for electric trucks and buses in large-scale production. Initially, the batteries, which along with the engines form the heart of electric commercial vehicle drives, will be manufactured manually at the MAN plant in Nuremberg in a small series production for about two and a half years. Construction of large-scale production is scheduled to start in mid-2023 and to be completed by the end of 2024. 

A MAN battery pack for e-trucks and e-buses

The commercial vehicle manufacturer is receiving support from the Bavarian State Government, which has promised a contribution of around €30 million to energy research and technology funding for the period 2023 to 2027, provided that the funding and budgetary requirements are met. These funds will be used to conduct research in battery assembly, cell chemistry and development, battery safety, and ultimately battery recycling to ensure the sustainability of the propulsion mode.

Alexander Vlaskamp, chairman of the Executive Board of MAN Truck & Bus SE, said: “We are now starting to industrialize electromobility and continue on our path to climate-neutral mobility in commercial vehicles. It is a ground-breaking location and investment decision for the next decades. This now paves the way for a commercial vehicle e-cluster “made in Bavaria”, consisting of the production of e-trucks at MAN in Munich, battery production in Nuremberg, research & development at both locations and excellent cooperation with the respective colleges, universities and institutes.

The company explained that the batteries are the result of complex assembly: they are made of battery cells, which in turn are grouped into modules and combined in individual layers to form a battery housing (pack). Depending on the range, a heavy electric truck needs up to six of those battery packs, which will initially give MAN’s e-trucks a range of 600 to 800 km.

The next generation of battery technology is expected to deliver ranges of up to 1 000 km from around 2026. MAN Truck & Bus forecasts that around the middle of the current decade, the total cost of ownership for an e-truck and a diesel-powered one will be at the same level.

The production of heavy e-trucks will start at MAN in Munich at the beginning of 2024. The manufacturer has already put a small series on the road in 2019. MAN has also had fully electric city buses and vans on the market for some time.