Germany's transport minister test-drives MAN's 720 km eTGX and calls for faster charging build-out
Federal transport minister Steffen Bilger drove MAN's new long-haul electric truck in Munich and heard one message: the trucks are ready, but charging infrastructure, power grids and financing must catch up.
- 720 km
- 750 kW
- 60 million km
- 4,200
What Happened
Federal transport minister Steffen Bilger visited MAN Truck & Bus in Munich, where he learned about the technical innovations of the new MAN eTGX — a truck that celebrated its world premiere at IAA Transportation 2026 just a few weeks earlier — and took it for a test drive. After the product presentation and test drive, Bilger discussed the next steps needed for a successful ramp-up of battery-electric trucks with Alexander Vlaskamp, chairman of the MAN Truck & Bus executive board, and Frederik Zohm, board member for research and development. MAN's electric trucks have been in series production for more than a year and have already covered over 60 million kilometres in real customer operation, which the company says proves the battery drivetrain is fully practical. The central message of the visit was that the framework conditions for electric mobility must keep pace with the speed of industry and the transport sector.
720km
MAN eTGX 6x2 tractor unit with seven batteries and 644 kWh total capacity, available in future
“My visit to MAN has once again convinced me of the future viability of electric trucks. Road freight transport is central to Germany as an industrial location. At the same time, it faces the major challenge of becoming more climate-friendly. Above all, that requires a powerful charging infrastructure. That is why we are investing specifically in expanding a nationwide fast-charging network for e-trucks. With our multi-billion-euro funding programme, around 4,200 charging points at 350 rest stops are planned. We also support companies that want to equip their depots with charging points, as well as investors who build publicly accessible charging infrastructure for heavy commercial vehicles. That creates planning certainty for the industry. For us it is clear: the market ramp-up for e-trucks will only succeed with powerful charging options. We are contributing to that.”
“The federal transport minister's test drive in our MAN eTGX shows that the electric truck is no longer a pipe dream but a proven product for all applications — whether on the construction site, in distribution or in long-haul transport. Industry has delivered. Now policymakers in Brussels and Berlin must actively support the market ramp-up through charging infrastructure, grids, financing and industrial policy. We welcome the start of the Germany-wide truck fast-charging network; what matters now is rapid implementation. At the same time, the industry needs practical framework conditions, including the permanent approval of 44 tonnes gross weight for locally emission-free vehicles, analogous to combined transport. If policymakers, industry and the transport sector create the necessary preconditions together, the ramp-up of locally emission-free commercial vehicles can succeed much faster — for the benefit of the climate, the economy and Germany as an industrial location.”
- Six batteries, 552 kWh total capacity, up to 660 km
- Seven batteries, 644 kWh total capacity, up to 720 km
- Charging infrastructure must grow quickly, and logistics centres and freight forwarders need powerful power connections — 70 to 80 percent of trucks are charged there.
- Grid expansion must take greater account of freight transport requirements.
- Financing hurdles must be lowered and suitable funding created, especially for small and medium-sized companies investing in new vehicles and depot charging.
- Europe needs a better match between political climate targets and the actual preconditions; MAN argues the deadlines for truck and bus CO2 targets should be adjusted to how the necessary infrastructure develops.
- Europe needs framework conditions that enable investment and help secure innovation, industrial value creation and jobs in Europe.
MAN's electric commercial vehicle portfolio comprises the eTGL, eTGM, eTGS and eTGX series, covering applications from 12 to 50 tonnes gross weight, and a modular battery system lets the eTGX be tailored to different duty profiles. The new battery generation offers up to ten percent more usable energy at unchanged weight, while drive output rises to up to 440 kW or 598 PS. Maximum recuperation increases from 400 kW in the previous generation to 480 kW, so on very mountainous routes such as the Brenner the extra energy used climbing can be almost offset on the following downhill sections. Together with an aerodynamically optimised front end pulled forward by 120 millimetres, this delivers an efficiency gain of up to three percent over the predecessor, and the optimised front also improves the driver's direct view of other road users in front of and beside the vehicle. With the optional MCS charging connector the batteries can be recharged in around 30 minutes, so the charging stop can fit into the driver's legal 45-minute break.
Previously from MAN Truck & Bus
At IAA 2026, MAN announced a 2026 model-year update for its truck range with fuel savings of up to nine percent, over-the-air map updates and a new generation of emergency braking and turning assistants. The same show announcement included 50 additional charging sites.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of MAN Truck & Bus's official releases.
Why this matters
MAN's electric trucks are already in series production and have covered more than 60 million kilometres with customers, so the debate has shifted from whether the technology works to whether the surrounding conditions do. That matters most to freight forwarders and smaller hauliers weighing the cost of new trucks and depot chargers, and to logistics hubs that need far more grid capacity.
Terms in This Story
- Megawatt Charging System (MCS)
- A high-power charging standard for heavy commercial vehicles that supplies power in the megawatt range, allowing much shorter stops than earlier chargers.
- Recuperation
- Recovering kinetic energy while braking or driving downhill and feeding it back into the battery instead of losing it as heat.
- kWh (kilowatt-hour)
- A unit of energy; the storage capacity of a vehicle battery is usually stated in kWh.
- Gross weight
- The total permitted weight of a vehicle including its load, often used to classify trucks and their applications.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.