MAN Truck & Bus and ABB E-mobility have recently signed an exclusive cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening collaboration, especially in the development domain.
Thomas Nickels, Senior Vice President of Engineering at MAN, noted, “Cooperation in the area of research and development is rather rare in our industry. Together with ABB E-mobility, we are striving for a trusting, binding and transparent partnership. We are already starting with the development of products and standards and are focussing on the special requirements of the commercial vehicle industry.”
Nickels continued, saying, “At megawatt charging system (MCS), we are working with players from the entire sector to enable charging capacities in the megawatt range in the future and thus sustainable and economical long-distance heavy goods and passenger transport. By cooperating with ABB E-mobility, we can tackle the challenges of the new technology at an early stage and drive standardisation forward more quickly.”
These challenges encompass adapting to the ISO15118-20 communication standard and exploring innovative signal transmission methods. The foundation for megawatt charging lies in utilizing Ethernet communication, a pioneering approach in the realm of electromobility. Early software and interoperability tests involving vehicles and charging stations are crucial for swiftly establishing reliable products in an emerging market environment.
This collaboration, initially slated for three years, prioritises customer experience from the outset. Alongside internal development, the focus extends to further advancements in charging stations, vehicles, and software.
“High charging performance, reliable technology and customer confidence - these are the prerequisites for the success of electromobility in heavy goods and long-distance passenger transport. By working together with MAN right from the early product phase, we can respond even better to the needs of our customers. By 2025, we want to bring a product to the market that meets the requirements of logistics,” says Floris van de Klashorst, Senior Vice President Products & Hardware Platforms at ABB E-mobility.
