DB Schenker to Deploy MAN eTrucks

DB Schenker, one of the world’s leading logistics service providers, has signed an agreement with commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus to become the first customer to adopt the new MAN eTruck. DB Schenker will add 100 new MAN low liner and swap body trucks to its fleet by 2026. The first vehicles are to be handed over in the first half of 2024.

Cyrille Bonjean, Head of Land Transport at DB Schenker Europe, said: “We want to build up practical experience with e-trucks as early as possible. In this way, we can quickly create an offer for the business community to make supply chains more climate-friendly. That’s why it was important for us to receive the first MAN eTrucks. This brings us another step closer to our goal to be net zero on the road in land transport by 2040.”

“DB Schenker and MAN are embarking together on the road to an electric future. We are very pleased to have our first customer for the new eTruck. Demand in the market for this all-electric vehicle is already enormous. The topic is now really taking off, partly because more and more of our customers are setting extremely ambitious decarbonization targets. This has a direct impact on logistics chains. However, we will only succeed in achieving a sustainable mobility turnaround in heavy goods traffic with the appropriate political support. Among other things, this relates to the rapid development of the charging infrastructure and also the further design of the funding framework for the acquisition of electric trucks,” said Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus.

eTruck from Munich

The first MAN eTrucks will be produced in a small series in the first half of 2024 on the production line at the company’s headquarters in Munich. With the signing of the agreement, DB Schenker is the first pilot customer for these eTrucks. The logistics service provider wants to gain practical experience with the product as early as possible. This also includes setting up its own charging infrastructure, intelligent route planning, and other digital services from MAN Digital Solutions such as eManager, ServiceCare, and MAN Driver App. DB Schenker is therefore supported by 360° consulting from MAN Transport Solutions, including route analysis, charging strategy, charging infrastructure planning, and energy demand optimization.

The first MAN eTrucks for DB Schenker in 2024 will be volume semitrailer tractors, so-called ultra-semitrailer tractors. The reduced semitrailer height of around 950 mm makes it possible to transport volume trailers with an interior height of 3 meters electrically. The other electric trucks to be delivered in 2025 and 2026 are planned as ultra-semitrailer tractors and swap body trucks.