MAN and Munich wholesaler Arndt test hybrid truck in everyday operation

MAN Truck & Bus is currently putting its new hybrid truck to the test in Munich. In cooperation with wholesaler Arndt GmbH & Co. KG, two MAN TGL 12.220 Hybrid distribution trucks are being tested at the Munich site. The test operation is intended to provide key empirical values that MAN can use to further optimize its hybrid truck. The customer trial is part of the “HyTruck” project (modular hybrid drives for commercial vehicles) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.



MAN uses the data collected to identify future demands on hybrid systems, improve the handling of the vehicles, and ultimately optimize energy management and fuel-saving potential. The loads to which individual hybrid components are subjected and the stability of the system are just two examples of the information that the data provides. The inner city’s stop-and-go traffic not only makes it possible to draw conclusions about the optimum design of hybrid and energy management, it also enables an analysis of energetic behavior in everyday operation. The continual exchange with Arndt’s logistics experts provides additional helpful information as to the functionality of the hybrid system in real conditions.



The MAN TGL 12.220 Hybrid was first presented at the IAA Commercial Vehicles 2010. Working under its cab is a four-cylinder common-rail diesel engine with an output of 220 hp that complies with the particularly strict EEV environmental standard. Also integrated in the drive train is a 60 kW electric motor. Since fall of 2010, several MAN Lion’s City Hybrid buses have been operating successfully in major European cities. Fuel savings of up to 30 percent are possible here, depending on operating conditions. MAN expects that trucks in distribution transport will use up to 15 percent less fuel.



Besides the combustion engine, electric motor, and automated six-speed transmission, the hybrid-drive system as a whole also consists of a compact lithium-ion battery as the high-voltage source and additional power electronics for controlling the electric motor and supplying the 24-V on-board network from the high-voltage system. It performs all the functions of a full-hybrid system: stop/start, recuperation of braking energy, support when accelerating (boosting), and electrically-powered driving. The intelligence of the system is seated in MAN’s hybrid energy management, controlling the energy flow between diesel engine, electric motor, energy storage, driving axle and auxiliary units. Here, energy management optimizes the torque split between the diesel engine and the electric motor. Alongside that, power on demand is ensured for operation of the auxiliary units.



Arndt GmbH und Co. KG has relied on innovative commercial vehicles from MAN in its logistics for years. Arndt is especially interested in alternative drives, in particular hybrid technology. “It is specifically in distribution transport that hybrid technology promises significant savings potential. Urban traffic is a big challenge, not just to punctual deliveries but also to the profitable and efficient operation of our fleet of trucks. That is why we didn’t hesitate when we were offered two MAN TGL 12.220 Hybrid trucks to test on our routes. In fact, we are proud that our testing is making a contribution to this innovative technology becoming available for commercial vehicles in the future,” says Thomas Wölflein, Managing Director of Arndt.