MAN: 700 Lion’s City E ordered since launch. 53 units recently ordered in Hamburg

An order from Hamburg bring to over 700 the number of MAN electric buses on order so far. According to the German group, “90 percent of MAN city buses will be delivered with battery drive by 2030”.

Hamburger Hochbahn AG and Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH) placed an order for 53 vehicles. 133 Lion’s City E were sold in fiscal 2021. And in the fall of 2022, 15 MAN electric buses will be in service in Zurich (Switzerland) on the city’s standard bus routes. Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) is pursuing a consistent electric bus strategy and has opted for the MAN Lion’s City 12 E as part of this strategy.

By 2025, half of our new city buses will be alternatively powered. And we expect that just five years later – in 2030 – 90 percent of our city buses will be delivered with battery drive

Rudi Kuchta, Head of Business Unit Bus at MAN Truck & Bus

MAN and the European electric bus market

Figures of the electric bus market in Europe clearly show that the demand for e-buses is rising. According to Chatrou CME Solutions, 59.4 percent of the 14,990 city buses registered in Europe in 2021 had an alternative drive system (EU27 expanded with UK, Iceland, NO, CH). The share of battery buses (BEVs) in the city bus market rose particularly sharply: from 14.8 to 21.7 percent.

In terms of units, 3,282 electric buses were newly registered in the European market last year. MAN delivered 133 units, a +436% on 2020. It corresponds to a share of around 5.5 percent of the city buses sold by MAN in Europe last year (2,402 vehicles). In Germany, this puts MAN in third place in terms of e-buses registered in 2021.

“However, our goal is quite clearly to put even more electric buses on the road: by 2025, half of our new city buses will be alternatively powered. And we expect that just five years later – in 2030 – 90 percent of our city buses will be delivered with battery drive,” says Rudi Kuchta, Head of Business Unit Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, adding, “The feedback from the market is excellent, and a look at our order books also clearly shows that we can achieve these figures.”

Two orders, 53 vehicles headed to Hamburg

MAN recently received two orders for a total of 53 eBuses from Hamburg. Hamburger Hochbahn AG ordered 17 MAN Lion’s City 18 E buses – a first for the transport company, which ordered eBuses from MAN for the first time. The first vehicles will be delivered this year. The second order from Hamburg
comes from Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH. The two company have recently been awarded fundings for nearly 500 e-buses by the Federal Government.

“This is the third time VHH has opted for eBuses from MAN – a great endorsement for us and our vehicles,” says Kuchta. The current order comprises 30 solo eBuses with a length of 12 meters and 6 articulated eBuses with a length of 18 meters. Delivery of the first buses is scheduled for later this year. Already in operation for VHH are 37 MAN eBuses.

MAN Lion’s City E in Scandinavia

Also on the road are 25 MAN Lion’s City 12 E buses in Copenhagen. In February, Malte Kauert, Managing Director of MAN Scandinavia, handed over the vehicles to Poul Anchersen, CEO and owner of the local transport company Anchersen A/S. The vehicles will be used on the city’s public transport network. The buses will be used on Copenhagen’s central bus route 7A, which carries more than 4.3 million passengers each year. To make urban transport as sustainable as possible, the new city buses are charged exclusively with green electricity. This means they run completely emissionfree in daily operation.

In neighboring Sweden, Keolis has ordered a total of 75 MAN Lion’s City 18 E buses. “This is one of the biggest sales successes to date for our all-electric city bus – and of course a great success for the entire team, which has been highly motivated for years to advance innovative technologies and is constantly working to improve vehicles and services even further,” says Rudi Kuchta. 60 electric MAN articulated buses are going to Gothenburg and 15 to Stockholm.
Another 12 MAN Lion’s City 18 E will soon be running in Uppsala, Sweden.

The 39 eBuses of VAG Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg are also already in operation. The company initially ordered 15 and then, as part of a follow-up order, a further 13 Lion’s City 18 E and 11 Lion’s City 12 E from MAN Truck & Bus.