MAN racks up hybrid bus sales

Since the delivery of its first hybrid bus in May 2010, vehicles in MAN’s range of Lion’s City EfficientHybrids are plying routes in more and more of Europe’s major cities, with a new generation of models set to continue the success story

Nine years after MAN introduced its Lion’s City hybrid bus to Europe, about 800 units have been sold in ten different countries, with France, Spain, Poland, Germany and Sweden accounting for 95 percent of the volume.

“The hybrid bus is on trend,” says Rudi Kuchta, head of product and sales at MAN’s bus division. “It represents a first step towards emission-free traffic. More and more cities are responding to the challenges of urban mobility and are overhauling their public transport systems.”

The MAN Lion’s City range with EfficientHybrid has proved to be a popular choice in cities such as Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Vienna, Warsaw, Dresden, Wolfsburg and Milan.

A new diesel variant equipped with the company’s recently released D15 engine – as well as a natural gas-propelled equivalent with a redeveloped E18 engine – are available as EfficientHybrids, their systems designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

“The technology allows the bus engine to be completely switched off when making stops, helping to improve air quality in inner cities. So far, MAN is the only company to offer this type of functionality,” says Jan Aichinger head of product marketing.

At the heart of the EfficientHybrid system is a crankshaft/starter motor/alternator designed to transform mechanical energy into electrical energy. Recovered energy is saved in an ultracap storage system on the bus’s roof, ensuring continuous supply to the vehicle’s electrical system whether or not the combustion engine is running. An intelligent energy-management system is used to regulate engine and ultracap operations.

According to a statement issued by the company, long-standing experience of electrified drivelines and components has allowed MAN to series-produce hybrid buses since 2011. Plans are now underway for production of a new range of Lion’s City derivatives at a plant in Poland, which has been developed especially for the next generation of efficient and environmentally friendly hybrids.

“Current orders indicate that the EfficientHybrid concept continues to impress – the Metropolitan Transport of Barcelona recently ordered 30 Lion’s City buses with the system. Likewise, Linz Linien GmbH in Austria has ordered 88 units and LVL Jäger GmbH – which is located on the outskirts of Stuttgart in Germany – has ordered another 50 units,” Kuchta says.