MAN Truck & Bus is set to establish battery repair centers in eight European countries in 2024 and 2025, using existing hubs in Germany and Spain as blueprints. The multi-million-euro investment aims to prepare MAN’s service network for the upcoming eTruck and a closed-loop battery supply.
The company has confirmed battery repair centers in Italy, Denmark/Norway, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Poland, and the UK, with plans for further European locations. MAN will invest millions over the next two years. Two battery repair centers are already operational in Germany (Hanover-Laatzen) and Spain (Barcelona).
The rollout aligns with the launch of MAN’s new eTruck generation, set for customer deliveries this year. With over 700 orders for the new battery electric vehicle (BEV), MAN has also sold more than 1,000 battery-electric city buses and 2,400 electric vans in Europe over the years, all of which will require servicing.
The Battery Repair Hubs aim to improve response to battery damage and shorten transport times. Previously, batteries had to be transported to Hanover-Laatzen from across Europe for repairs and then transported back.
Battery repair is a key element in MAN’s sustainability strategy. The company aims to extend the battery’s life as much as possible. MAN leads project REVAMP, a consortium of nine partners, aiming to automate the assessment of used commercial vehicle batteries for remanufacture and second-life scenarios.
The network is based on MAN’s first workshop in Hanover-Laatzen, opened in 2020, which conducted pilot repairs of the eTGE electric van battery. MAN plans to operate a battery repair hub in every market where it sells battery-electric commercial vehicles.
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Christopher Kunstmann, MAN’s Senior VP of Customer Service Management, stated, “Battery repair is a necessity for MAN to ensure the economic efficiency and operational readiness of our customers’ electric vehicles at a high level. We also make a major contribution to the closed-loop approach of traction batteries, as this extends the battery life in the vehicle, which conserves important resources.”
MAN is also working with TRATON SE and the COE (Centre of Excellence) at Volkswagen AG on concepts to enable closed cycles and meet the EU’s new Battery Ordinance (BattVO) target values. MAN became a partner of Circular Republic in 2023, aiming to implement the circular economy by semi-automated dismantling of traction batteries and recycling cell modules.
