Are electric HGVs the future? MAN eTGX truck put to the test
Articulated lorries aren’t immune from the switch to electric power, as we find out when we drive MAN’s eTGX truck
It’s a long climb up into the cab of an articulated lorry, and as I mount the steps of the brand-new MAN eTGX, I wonder if someone has forgotten to hand me a risk-assessment form. I’m not surprised to learn later that statistics show 2,000 workers are seriously injured each year in falls from vehicles and their trailers. At least there’s a comfy air-sprung chair at the top of my ascent, and a great view out of the vast windscreen.
The height is unlikely to be the first aspect of the e-truck that strikes you though; rather it’s the ability to glide almost silently into view under electric power that is initially so remarkable. If you thought the first electric car you saw seemed a bit surreal as it slid across the tarmac, wait until an electric articulated lorry creeps up behind you and taps you on the shoulder.
Even though I’m a real enthusiast of old diesels, it only takes a moment to realise what a fantastic improvement electric trucks such as this one can make to congested environments, thanks to the complete elimination of noise, vibration and soot. Not surprisingly, lots of truck-fleet operators with ‘corporate social responsibility’ agendas to live up to are as keen as anyone to see more of the new breed of electric trucks on the road.
But sadly there’s still a gap between aspiration and reality because, unless you have hydrogen tanks on board to run a fuel cell, there’s the small matter of needing to charge an array of batteries (up to six individual units, adding up to a maximum of 750kWh in the MAN eTGX’s case, which are good for a maximum 500-mile range), in order to keep the show on the road.
That doesn’t rule out battery-powered EVs for all trucking applications, because many of the biggest lorries on our roads ply regular routes between freight and distribution centres. This potentially makes them great candidates for battery power, because they can be reliably charged at either or both ends of their journeys. This is known as ‘trunking’ in the trucking business, and it contrasts greatly with the ‘tramping’ undertaken by other delivery operations.
That’s when you’re delivering loads hither and thither across the country and beyond, and when the last thing a truck driver needs is range anxiety. Our European neighbours have sussed this out and are investing in hydrogen filling stations at key points along major routes, which should encourage the uptake of fuel cell-powered electric trucks, but we’ve yet to see much sign of the UK government taking notice, or even less any signs of meaningful investment in hydrogen-fuelled road transport over here.
German truck maker MAN (and no, please don’t call it ‘Man’ - it’s M - A - N!) is part of the VW Group, along with Iveco, and has hydrogen fuel cell-powered trucks in development. For now in the UK, it’s just begun offering the eTGX to customers, and we’re attending a launch event at the MIRA test track in Warwickshire, where the firm explains the lengths it is going to, to make sure its e-truck is the best option in any given usage scenario.
That’s done via the MAN eMobility consulting service, which advises on the most suitable configurations for vehicles, and highlights a full range of buyer-specific factors, including cost optimisation, route analysis and advice on charging infrastructure. It also offers software products that are designed to let fleet bosses check how routes can be driven electrically, and the MAN eManager, which gives fleet chiefs the ability to see the charge status of all their lorries out on the road.
MAN has laid on one of its senior Profidrive trainers to ensure we don’t do anything daft once we’re behind the eTGX’s wheel. Dan Lester is usually employed on advanced training programmes for MAN customers, which among other things are designed to help drivers improve their efficiency plus reduce wear and tear on vehicles, all in the name of reducing operating costs.
Before letting us loose in this leviathan, Dan tells us: “Essentially the cab interior is the same as the TG diesel equivalent, the idea being that when drivers make the transition to electric they’re not going to be overwhelmed with lots of new things. It’s just like getting in the diesel truck, with a few slight changes.”
The main change is one-pedal driving, operated from a switch that would swap the diesel truck’s transmission from manual to auto. It’s just like an electric car, with two levels of retardation as you lift off the accelerator pedal. But if a driver isn’t keen on one-pedal driving, there’s an alternative control that mimics the effect of a diesel-engine brake. There are three stages of engine braking on the MAN TG, but the eTGX has four, all of which put valuable energy back into the batteries.
A further feature is a drive-mode controller that’s similar to the diesel’s, giving options such as a ‘crawler gear’ for manoeuvering, and ‘performance’ if the driver wants faster responses and more aggressive gearchanges. Unlike many electric cars, the eTGX has a four-speed TipMatic automated transmission between the drive unit and rear axle, while the batteries feed a ‘permanently excited’ synchronous motor, which basically means it has permanent magnets instead of wasting energy on creating a magnetic field.
As we tentatively make our way around the MIRA test track, the eTGX feels shockingly easy to drive. The comfortable chair and near-silent progress, coupled with one-pedal driving and the clear view around provided by the video door mirrors, make driving this huge machine almost like playing a video game.
But will electric trucking be a revelation for seasoned drivers too? Dan is convinced it’s a game changer. “The first thing they’ll notice is the acceleration, it’s a lot smoother getting up to speed (the 56mph limit), and a lot more controlled,” he says. “You’ve only got a four-speed gearbox compared with 12 speeds in the diesel equivalent, so it just feels that much more comfortable.
“The one-pedal driving will be the biggest change drivers will have to get used to, and it will be about challenging them to drive as efficiently as possible to recuperate as much energy as they can.”
But it’s also about relaxation and comfort, whichDan reckons is “a hundred per cent better”.
“It’s so much quieter, it’s so much more relaxing, and that makes it less stressful for the driver,” he adds. “People don’t realise how tiring driving is until you do it as a job, and this will make their lives a lot easier.”
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