At this year’s VDV electric bus conference and trade fair ElekBu from March 16 to 17, 2021, MAN is presenting two fully electric solution concepts for locally emission-free passenger transport on the virtual booth with the MAN Lion’s City 18 E and the MAN eTGE Kombi. “We are also pleased that we can offer all trade fair participants a specialist lecture on the subject of ‘Electromobility at MAN: Your questions – our answers’ in the stream of the VDV electric bus conference on February 17th, 2021 . For this purpose, questions can be sent to the e – mail address IhrFrage@man.eu in the run-up to the event , which will then be answered during the lecture, ”explains Frank Krämer, Head of Bus Sales at MAN Truck & Bus Deutschland GmbH.
Fully electric articulated bus MAN Lion’s City 18 E
The MAN Lion’s City 18 E is the perfect choice for busy lines in city traffic. The 18-meter-long articulated electric bus brings up to 120 passengers safely, comfortably and locally emission-free to their destination. Two electric central motors on the second and third axles provide the necessary power in city traffic. In contrast to electric motors close to the wheel hubs, these are more accessible and less complex. The operators benefit from advantages in terms of maintenance and the total cost of ownership (TCO). The two driven and electronically synchronized axles also have a positive effect on the driving behavior of the articulated bus: driving stability and consequently safety are increased. The articulated bus is also equipped with an anti-kink guard and a kink angle control, which further optimizes driving stability.
Thanks to the two driven axles, the maximum energy recovery increases when braking. The fully electric drive train in the MAN Lion’s City 18 E has an output of 267 kW to a maximum of 400 kW. The energy for this comes from the modular batteries with an installed capacity of 640 kWh. MAN uses the mature lithium-ion (NMC) battery cell technology from the Group’s modular system. Thanks to the intelligent temperature management optimized for city buses, particularly good availability is guaranteed at any time of the year. The MAN Lion’s City 18 E impresses with a range of 200 km and up to 270 km under favorable conditions over the entire service life of the batteries.
The eight battery packs are placed on the roof of the articulated bus. This has the advantage that the batteries are located outside the crash-prone rear area and are more easily accessible for service. The batteries are charged in the depot using a CCS plug (Combined Charging System). With an average charging power of 100 kW and up to 150 kW maximum power, the articulated bus is fully charged in under four hours.
Minibus MAN eTGE Kombi
With the MAN eTGE Kombi, MAN Truck & Bus is presenting the first fully electric minibus in its bus range. The MAN eTGE Kombi is based on the series-produced MAN eTGE electric transporter and is approved as a class M1 vehicle (dedicated) for a passenger capacity of up to eight people. This new minibus is therefore particularly suitable for inner-city traffic in zones with restricted access as well as in residential areas and spa or clinic areas, where great importance is attached to low noise levels. The MAN eTGE has eight passenger seats as standard equipment. The seating system with anchoring in airline rails enables a very flexible seat layout as well as the addition of a wheelchair lift in the rear.
The batteries of the fully electrically powered MAN eTGE Kombi minibus are placed under the slightly raised floor to save space and enable a theoretical range of up to 173 kilometers according to the NEDC and 114 kilometers according to the WLTP. Charging takes place on an AC wallbox with 7.2 kilowatts in around five and a half hours. Fast charging from zero to 80 percent is possible within 45 minutes if a DC charging station with a combined charging socket (Combined Charging System, CCS) and 40 kilowatts of charging power is available. A permanently excited synchronous machine is used as the drive in the MAN eTGE Kombi. The three-phase motor, in combination with the 1-speed gearbox, is mounted directly on the front of the drive axle. It has a maximum output of 100 kilowatts, its output in continuous operation is around 50 kilowatts. The immediately applied torque of 290 Nm ensures agile driving behavior. In addition to a locally emission-free drive, the new MAN eTGE Kombi has a lot of safety technology on board: parking aid with side protection, multifunction camera, reversing camera, cruise control system and limiter, the environment monitoring system with city emergency braking function and the emergency brake assistant EBA (Emergency Brake Assist).
MAN Digital Services
But MAN not only supplies the hardware for future mobility, but also thinks about tomorrow for its customers today when it comes to operations. The digital services from MAN DigitalServices help make bus fleets more effective by significantly reducing consumption and wear and tear. With effective maintenance management, vehicle availability can also be increased by planning potential vehicle failures in good time.
MAN eManager
The MAN eManager is an important component of MAN Digital Services, especially for the operation of electric buses. It gives fleet operators a tool to manage the MAN Lion’s City E conveniently from their desk. The focus is on charging management for the modular battery system with a total capacity of 480 kWh (solo bus) or 640 kWh (articulated bus) in the MAN Lion’s City E, which consists of six or eight battery modules on the vehicle roof. After all, when using it in public transport, it must be ensured that the battery charge status always matches the timetable. The eManager shows at a glance when a vehicle is already fully charged or when it has reached the maximum charge status. At the push of a button, the MAN eManager can be used to charge the vehicle battery immediately or to pre-program the charge – separately and clearly for each individual e-bus in the fleet. Depending on the vehicle and day of the week, it is possible to configure at what time which bus should be ready to leave. If errors occur during loading, this is indicated to the fleet manager on the RIO platform so that he can intervene in good time. In addition, fleet operators can use the MAN eManager to set the room air conditioning of the MAN Lion’s City E before the start of the journey for optimal energy management, so that the battery charge is saved if the outside temperature deviates significantly during the journey. When “Climate Control” is activated, the vehicle also leaves the hall at a room temperature that is comfortable for passengers.
SOURCE: MAN Truck & Bus
