Commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus is switching to an intermodal, low-carbon logistics model for the delivery of its newly built vehicles, combining long-distance rail transport with battery-electric trucks for final customer delivery.
Under the programme, developed with Austrian logistics group VEGA International, new trucks are shipped by train from MAN’s production facility in Krakow, Poland, to a rail terminal in Rheine, north-west Germany, before being delivered to customers within a 300-kilometre radius by fully electric MAN eTGX trucks.
The initiative follows a trial phase using two battery-electric eTGX units and is now being expanded. VEGA plans to deploy an additional 30 to 40 electric trucks for similar operations by the end of 2026. The partners estimate the project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 2,700 tonnes per year.
“Every week, MAN eTGX trucks deliver around 30 to 40 brand-new trucks from the VEGA rail terminal in Rheine within a radius of 300 km using fully electric power and thus with zero local emissions,” the companies said in a joint statement.
VEGA has handled rail-based outbound logistics for MAN since June 2023 through its LionXpress network, which links Germany and Austria. Since the project began, more than 11,000 trucks have been transported by rail, saving about 6,000 tonnes of CO₂, according to the companies. Combined across both LionXpress routes, more than 22,000 vehicles have been moved, cutting emissions by around 10,400 tonnes.
“With the two eTGX trucks, we are gaining valuable experience in demanding real-world operations, which involve different routes and unloading locations every day,” said Franz Blum, chief executive of VEGA. “The battery range and operational suitability of the vehicles have proven to be excellent.”
MAN said the electrification of the last-mile delivery completes a fully electric logistics chain from factory to customer.
“VEGA has been a strong and innovative partner for our outbound logistics for many years,” said Michael Kobriger, MAN board member for production and logistics. “The combination of electric trucks with other zero-emission means of transport shows how climate-friendly supply chains can be intelligently implemented.”
The project forms part of MAN’s wider sustainability strategy, which targets a 30% cut in CO₂ emissions from vehicle distribution by 2030. The company is also pursuing electrification of spare-parts logistics and has issued a tender to deploy battery-electric trucks on about 40 inbound supply routes.
VEGA, which operates ten branches across Europe and Asia and employs more than 1,000 people, has set its own goal to make outbound commercial-vehicle logistics carbon-neutral by 2030. The company plans to invest more than €30 million in its own charging and solar infrastructure and a further €80 million to €100 million to convert its fleet to battery-electric and hydrogen power. It has also acquired a stake in a German green hydrogen producer.