MAN receives funding to continue battery development
MAN has been awarded almost €25m from the German government for the further development of high-voltage batteries for electric buses and trucks.
At MAN’s Nuremberg site, the Bavarian Prime Minister Dr Markus Söder symbolically handed over four subsidy notifications from the state government.
About a year ago, MAN Truck & Bus announced its decision to build commercial vehicle batteries in large-scale production at the Nuremberg site from 2025. The battery packs will be used to equip MAN’s electrically powered buses and trucks. While the electric MAN Lion’s City E city bus has already been in series production since 2020, delivery of the new MAN eTrucks will begin in 2024. MAN will invest around €100 million for the development and production of the battery packs in Nuremberg. In addition, there will be investments in logistics, infrastructure, buildings and production facilities.
“MAN has a future – this is what Minister President Söder wrote on the first battery pack from Nuremberg a year ago” – Alexander Vlaskamp, Chairman of the Executive Board of MAN Truck & Bus SE
Alexander Vlaskamp, Chairman of the Executive Board of MAN Truck & Bus SE, said: “MAN has a future – this is what Minister President Söder wrote on the first battery pack from Nuremberg a year ago. This also applies to our Nuremberg site, which we are transforming into an innovation and production centre for alternative drives. I am very pleased that we are receiving the necessary support on this path. I would like to thank the Bavarian State Government, the City of Nuremberg, but also the employees’ side and all other bodies involved for the pragmatic and constructive cooperation, for the atmosphere of trust in the discussions and the quick decision-making processes. Germany can have a future – if, as here, politics and business pursue a common goal.”
“The transformation ahead of us is a major challenge that can only succeed if companies work together with works councils, trade unions and politicians” – Markus Wansch, MAN Works Council Chairman Nuremberg and Deputy Chairman of the General and Group Works Council
Markus Wansch, MAN Works Council Chairman Nuremberg and Deputy Chairman of the General and Group Works Council, said: “The transformation ahead of us is a major challenge that can only succeed if companies work together with works councils, trade unions and politicians. From this perspective, it is a good sign for the Nuremberg metropolitan region and the Free State of Bavaria that battery series production is being supported here at the MAN plant in Nuremberg.”
Production of the battery packs in pre-series and small series on a smaller scale started in 2021. From 2025, battery production will be gradually ramped up with a new production facility and in a new hall. The ground-breaking ceremony for this site is scheduled for autumn 2023. Around 100,000 batteries per year are expected to be manufactured in large-scale production.
“MAN is moving into the future and doing so with strong support from the Free State of Bavaria” – Dr Markus Söder, Bavarian Minister-President
Dr Markus Söder, Bavarian Minister-President, said: “Good news for Nuremberg at today’s works meeting: MAN is moving into the future and doing so with strong support from the Free State of Bavaria. Promised – kept: We are investing 30 million euros in funding for the development and research of battery technology at MAN. This is the starting signal for a genuine battery technology gigafactory in Nuremberg. We are pursuing industrial policy in Bavaria by investing in research. MAN is one of the large and successful companies that have made Bavaria and Nuremberg economically large and strong. To make sure it stays that way, the future starts now.”