At the beginning of October 2022, MAN Truck & Bus celebrated a world premiere: the new Lion's Chassis E LF, a fully electric low-floor chassis, was presented to the public at the Australasia Bus & Coach Expo in Sydney.
The chassis is based on proven technologies from the MAN Lion's City E, which is already operating successfully in many European countries and proving its everyday suitability, performance, and reliability day after day.
Technologically advanced diesel buses
"We are very pleased that the MAN Lion's Chassis E has been presented live here in Australia for the first time," says Crinel Geaboc, Head of MAN Bus and Coach at Penske Australia, exclusive MAN partner in Australia and New Zealand.
Crinel Geaboc continues, "MAN offers one of the most technologically advanced diesel buses on the Australian market. The new electric chassis perfectly complements the existing range."
environmentally friendly mobility
MAN's goal is to further advance and make traffic in cities all over the world even cleaner, quieter, and safer
The high level of interest shown by operators and entrepreneurs in alternative forms of propulsion is demonstrated by the high response to the Lion's Chassis E during the Sydney show. Many visitors took the opportunity to learn about the all-electric chassis as well as environmentally friendly mobility.
MAN's clear goal is to further advance this and to make traffic in cities all over the world even cleaner, quieter, and safer. In addition, every second MAN city bus sold is to have an emission-free drive by 2030.
MAN electric bus solution
"The new Lion's Chassis E is an essential building block for us to achieve this goal. Because with our electric chassis, we now offer the MAN electric bus solution for the international markets, and bodybuilders from all over the world receive the ideal basis for their fully electric models with the chassis," says Rudi Kuchta, Head of Business Unit Bus at MAN Truck & Bus.
"In this way, we can also provide our customers with emission-free solutions outside Europe," Rudi Kuchta added.
electromobility
Especially in times when sustainable mobility is increasingly coming into focus, such an offer is of particular importance.
"With the Lion's Chassis E, we are in a position to make it much easier for companies and operators to switch their fleets to electric technologies, which is already required in this country," says Crinel Geaboc.
LFP technology
This also succeeds because MAN offers two alternatives in terms of battery technology
This also succeeds because MAN offers two alternatives in terms of battery technology. In this way, the sometimes enormously different requirements of international bus companies in terms of the daily range, total kilometer performance, and costs are to be met.
In concrete terms, this means that in addition to the NMC technology (lithium nickel manganese cobalt battery) familiar from the Lion's City E, there will be LFP technology (lithium ferrophosphate battery).
all-electric city bus
In the development and market launch of the electric chassis, MAN is relying on the knowledge and expertise that it has already been able to build up and gather with the Lion's City E.
"MAN has achieved excellent results with the Lion's City E in Europe. Since the start of production in 2020, more than 1,000 orders have already been received for the all-electric city bus. It was also recently named 'Bus of the Year 2023' by European trade journalists," said Crinel Geaboc.
Crinel Geaboc adds, "This success in Europe combined with MAN's continued investment in electric technology such as the construction of a battery factory in Nuremberg and the strong partnership with Penske on the ground in Australia builds confidence with our customers."