Dachser adds twelve MAN eTGX electric trucks to fleet
Lowliner tractor units with a low fifth-wheel height – 950 millimetres in the case of the MAN – can pull trailers with an internal height of up to three metres. These mega trailers have a higher transport volume and are frequently used in logistics for the automotive sector, for example. When transporting supplier parts to the vehicle plant, the volume is often the limiting factor and not the permissible total weight.
At Dachser, the electric MAN eTGX Ultra-Lowliners are not used specifically in the automotive sector, but generally for general cargo transport. Specifically, the twelve vehicles are being used by the TIP Group, one of the leading manufacturer-independent commercial vehicle rental companies and service providers for the transport and logistics industry. “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,” wrote Dachser.
“For Dachser, this is a further step toward making e-trucks fully suitable for long-distance transport,” explains Stefan Hohm, Chief Development Officer at Dachser, who received the new electric trucks from Dr Frederik Zohm, Executive Board member for Research & Development at MAN Truck & Bus. “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 interior height that is 20 centimetres higher, as the loading area is only just under one metre above the road. Nevertheless, the trailers remain below the vehicle height of four metres permitted in Germany and offer eight cubic metres more loading volume with the same length and width. MAN calculates that a mega trailer can transport up to 67 Euro pallets when loaded double-decker.
If the trailers are then towed by one of the twelve eTGXs from the Dachser fleet, the mega trailers can be moved up to 500 kilometres without a break in loading. This is the maximum range with the largest possible configuration of six battery packs; customers can also order just four or five batteries if this is sufficient for their application. It is not mentioned in detail in the press release, but as the vehicle is intended for use in emission-free long-distance transport, Dachser has probably opted for the largest battery variant.
“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. 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. That means that 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,” explained Dr Zohm.
Dachser collected the twelve vehicles directly from MAN in Munich in February and drove them to the respective locations on its own axles. This makes them the first eTGXs in Dachser’s German fleet, but not all of them: an eTGX has also been in operation in the Netherlands for Müller Fresh Food Logistics since December 2024. The food logistics company has been part of Dachser since 2023.
Since the first customer handover to the freight transport company Elflein in October 2024 (for the transport of battery packs from the supplier Dräxlmaier to the Porsche plant in Leipzig), MAN has delivered further examples of its eTruck, for example, to the freight forwarder Duvenbeck and ten units to DB Schenker.
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