Porsche has commissioned a fully electric MAN eTGM (earlier post) for logistics operations at its Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen site. The truck is the first vehicle of this kind that has gone into series production in Germany. Both Porsche and MAN are members of the Volkswagen Group.

The electric 32-tonne truck will soon enhance the commercial vehicle fleet that Porsche uses for its production logistics in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. Preparations for production of the first fully-electric Porsche are currently the core focus at Porsche headquarters.

The battery-powered eTruck is a MAN eTGM 18.360 4x2 LL. The type designation indicates that the truck is a semitrailer tractor and belongs to the 18-tonne weight class, while the overall combination with a semitrailer is designed for a total weight of 32 tonnes in delivery traffic.

The 360 figure represents the horsepower of the 265 kW eTruck. Lithium-ion batteries with a storage capacity of 149 kWh are used to store energy, making it possible for the eTruck to cover a range of 130 kilometers (81 miles).

With the MAN eTGM, electric commercial vehicles have taken a large step towards series production and can now reliably demonstrate their abilities in everyday operation. What we have learned—together with Porsche—in the context of regular factory logistics will be incorporated into the first small series, which MAN hopes to launch as soon as 2019.

—Dr Frederik Zohm, member of the Executive Board MAN responsible for Research and Development

In addition to its low noise emissions and being CO2-neutral, the strengths of the electric vehicle include reduced wear and maintenance. The eTruck uses recuperation to decelerate without mechanical braking and therefore with no abrasion to the brakes.

The electric commercial vehicle will be used for deliveries on the almost 19-kilometer (12-mile) route between the Porsche factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and the Freiberg am Neckar site operated by its logistics partner LGI. Using the eTruck avoids more than 30,000 kilograms of CO₂ that would otherwise be emitted each year.

The charging station for the electric truck is also located in Freiberg. It is the first model using the new high-power charging infrastructure developed by Porsche Engineering for the future high-power charging network that will be operated by the Ionity joint venture.

The maximum charging capacity for this logistical application is 150 kW, which is sufficient to charge the electric truck to travel a further 100 kilometers in 45 minutes. As at all Porsche charging stations, the vehicle is charged using natural power, i.e. green energy from renewable sources.

In producing the eTruck for Porsche, MAN passes another milestone on its e-mobility roadmap, according to which the first small series of the MAN eTGM is planned from early 2019.

By integrating the eTruck into our production logistics, Porsche is taking another step on the path to the ‘zero-impact factory’.

—Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board responsible for Production and Logistics at Porsche AG

The journey to the “zero-impact factory” takes in many different stops and measures. One example is the fact that Porsche has already been using energy exclusively from renewable sources at all production sites for two years now, and the railway logistics from production locations solely uses natural power. Porsche is also increasingly electrifying its logistics vehicles—transporters, trucks and forklifts.