MAN Truck & Bus is taking a step forward towards the future by strengthening its cooperation with scientific institutions, the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and the Nuremberg University of Applied Sciences Georg Simon Ohm (Ohm), to research fossil-free and future-proof drives. The cooperation, called Campus Future Driveline, will occur both decentrally and spatially united on the factory premises of the MAN site in Nuremberg. The joint laboratories on the MAN site have already been officially opened, and the first Ohm students started working in the laboratories in the summer of 2022.
The collaboration aims to create synergies between science and industry and to push teaching and further education. The trio also plans to create a pool of ideas for common goals and work packages. The cooperation will provide joint use of specialized test benches and measuring facilities, and both institutions plan to initiate various research projects.
For example, FAU wrote the technical lecture “Hydrogen” for the MAN Academy, an internal further education institution. A basic training course developed by Ohm on the subject of “hydrogen and fuel cells” has also already gone live. The research project ‘Fuel-Cell System Heavy Duty’ (FAU), the establishment of an energy laboratory in the project NFLUID (Ohm), as well as SMART.H2 (Ohm) have been initiated in the field of fuel cells. Additionally, the BNG 2.0 project (TH Nuremberg) focuses on the further development of battery technology.
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MAN plans to manufacture high-voltage batteries for e-trucks and e-buses in large-scale production in Nuremberg from the beginning of 2025. The company will invest around 100 million euros in this over the next five years. The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs is funding the project with around 30 million euros.
According to Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, the cooperation is another milestone in the transformation of this tradition-rich site. The cooperation will help to develop and produce the most economical battery packs, fuel cells, and electric engines for customers in the future with scientific support. Niels Oberbeck, President of the Georg Simon Ohm University of Applied Sciences, believes that application-oriented research can shape the transformation important for the region and further develop teaching. Joachim Hornegger, President of FAU, adds that close cooperation between science and industry is essential for transport transformation.
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The cooperation between MAN, FAU, and Ohm is a win-win situation, with the parties involved making sustainable use of existing resources. Ohm had been looking for new space for its students for some time, and the symbiotic use of the space vacated by MAN represents an excellent opportunity for the university. The Campus Future Driveline will bring three important partners, MAN, FAU, and THN, even closer together, creating a pool of ideas and projects for the future.
