Logistics service provider Dachser has introduced 12 fully electric MAN eTGX ultra-lowliner trucks into service, bolstering its fleet of electric vehicles for volume transport using high-capacity ‘mega trailers.’
The lowliner tractor units, featuring a fifth-wheel height of 950 millimeters, enable the transport of trailers with an internal height of up to three meters. These mega trailers, often used in the automotive sector, provide increased cargo volume, which is particularly advantageous for transporting supplier parts to vehicle manufacturing plants, where space limitations outweigh weight concerns.
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Dachser’s newly deployed eTGX trucks, however, will be used more broadly in general cargo transport. The vehicles are operated by the TIP Group, a leading commercial vehicle rental and service provider. “By pursuing a long-term climate protection strategy and focusing on efficiency, innovation, and inclusive responsibility, Dachser is paving the way for sustainable logistics together with its customers and partners,” the company said in a statement.
Stefan Hohm, Chief Development Officer at Dachser, emphasized the significance of the move toward sustainable transport. “For Dachser, this is a further step toward making e-trucks fully suitable for long-distance transport. We’ve been relying entirely on trailers with more interior height in our European groupage network since 2021, as they’re more economical and resource-efficient than standard trailers on long journeys.”
The mega trailers offer an additional 20 centimeters of interior height while remaining within Germany’s legal vehicle height limit of four meters. They provide eight cubic meters of extra loading volume while maintaining standard length and width. MAN estimates that a mega trailer can transport up to 67 Euro pallets when loaded in a double-deck configuration.
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Equipped with six battery packs, the Dachser eTGX trucks can achieve a maximum range of 500 kilometers per charge. MAN’s modular battery concept allows customers to configure the vehicles with four, five, or six battery packs depending on operational requirements. While Dachser did not specify its chosen configuration, the company is expected to have opted for the maximum battery capacity given the trucks’ long-haul application.
“Now that major logistics companies like Dachser are gradually equipping their fleets with electric trucks, we can see that the transition to zero-emission powertrains in logistics is becoming a reality,” said Dr. Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research & Development at MAN Truck & Bus. “Our MAN e-truck features a modular battery concept and is designed to be adaptable to all common transport applications, so our customers don’t have to lower their expectations compared to a conventionally powered truck. As an ultra-low-liner truck tractor for high-volume transports, even with the shortest possible wheelbase, the MAN e-truck still offers the maximum battery capacity for a range of around 500 kilometers.”
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Dachser took delivery of the 12 eTGX trucks directly from MAN’s Munich facility in February, driving them to operational locations across Germany. The vehicles represent the first eTGXs in Dachser’s German fleet, though the company has already deployed an eTGX in the Netherlands for Müller Fresh Food Logistics since December 2024. The Dutch food logistics firm became part of Dachser in 2023.
Since the initial handover of the MAN eTGX to the freight company Elflein in October 2024, for transporting battery packs from supplier Dräxlmaier to Porsche’s Leipzig plant, MAN has expanded deliveries to other transport firms, including Duvenbeck and DB Schenker, which received 10 units. The growing adoption of MAN’s electric trucks underscores the broader shift towards sustainable freight transport within the logistics industry.