MAN Electrifies City Logistics with the ZEUS Project in Munich

MAN Truck & Bus is participating with the electric truck eTGM in the EIT Urban Mobility project ZEUS (Zero Emission off-peak Urban deliverieS) for the distribution of goods in city centers. The test drives in Munich’s city center demonstrate what future delivery traffic should look like. The shift of city deliveries to off-peak hours already shows that this makes logistics more efficient.

(Munich) MAN proves with its own test drives in Munich’s city center that electric trucks can be effectively deployed during sensitive hours. The city of Munich, like many other metropolises, suffers from increasing traffic and air pollution. A redesign of the inner-city supply of goods leads to positive effects on multiple levels. The solution is to supply retail during off-peak hours with electrically powered trucks. “All scientific studies show that shifting inner-city deliveries to off-peak hours allows logistics to be processed faster and that the impact on the remaining traffic is significantly lower than during peak hours,” explains Clemens Baumgärtner, advisor for labor and economy at the city of Munich.

This was also confirmed in the test drives conducted by MAN together with the city of Munich as part of the ZEUS project last November, the results of which are now available.

Test Drives Resulted in Time Savings

The test drives conducted with the fully electric distribution truck MAN eTGM resulted in time savings of 15 to 30%, achievable by shifting the time window for inner-city deliveries to off-peak hours. At the same time, punctuality and predictability could be increased to almost 100%. Another aspect is the significantly noticeable noise reduction when using electric trucks. This makes the use of off-peak hours feasible, as residents are not disturbed. “In the test drives of the MAN eTGM in Munich, we were able to confirm the noise reduction of the electric motor. The perceived noise is reduced by at least a quarter, and in some cases even by half, especially at speeds below 30 km/h,” reports Dr. Christoph Jessberger, who works in the pre-development department at MAN Truck & Bus and has overseen the ZEUS project.

Noise Reduction of the Electric Motor Confirmed

“In the test drives of the MAN eTGM in Munich, we were able to confirm the noise reduction of the electric motor. The perceived noise is reduced by at least a quarter, and in some cases even by half, especially at speeds below 30 km/h,” reports Dr. Christoph Jessberger, who works in the pre-development department at MAN Truck & Bus and has overseen the ZEUS project.

“All scientific studies show that shifting inner-city deliveries to off-peak hours allows logistics to be processed faster and that the impact on the remaining traffic is significantly lower than during peak hours,” explains Clemens Baumgärtner, advisor for labor and economy at the city of Munich.

The ZEUS project is part of EIT Urban Mobility, a body of the EU. The goal of ZEUS is to model and demonstrate various use cases of quiet urban logistics processes during off-peak and night hours to identify feasible deliveries outside of peak traffic times for cities while simultaneously meeting the supply needs of the cities.

Tests Showed Advantages in Various Areas

The tests within the ZEUS project show that the distribution system has become significantly more efficient, delivery times have been shortened, punctuality has increased, and no disturbing noise emissions were caused by vehicle operation. An important challenge that needs to be addressed is the fact that retail businesses must restructure their goods acceptance to outside of peak traffic times, which can lead to increased costs for the businesses.

Conclusion: Silent deliveries outside of peak traffic times will contribute to cities becoming cleaner and less congested faster than would otherwise be possible. MAN supports this development through its products and commitment.

Project ZEUS

Photos: © MAN

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