Heavy-duty vehicle electrification and fast chargingprimary
2 projects
ASSURED focused on fast charging for urban heavy-duty vehicles (electric buses, trucks, vans), while ECOCHAMPS addressed hybrid and electric powertrains for commercial vehicles.
Organization
MAN TRUCK & BUS SE
Major European truck and bus manufacturer contributing vehicle integration expertise in electrification, alternative fuels, and automated driving research.
Large industrial companytransportDENo active H2020 projects
H2020 projects
7
As coordinator
1
Total EC funding
€10.1M
Unique partners
131
What they do
Their core work
MAN Truck & Bus SE is one of Europe's leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, headquartered in Munich, Germany. They design and produce trucks, buses, and diesel/gas engines for heavy-duty transport applications. Within EU research, they contribute real-world vehicle integration expertise — testing electrified drivetrains, alternative fuel engines, and aerodynamic solutions on commercial-grade platforms. Their role is typically bringing lab-stage innovations to road-ready prototypes in trucks and buses.
Core expertise
What they specialise in
Alternative fuels for commercial vehicles (LNG, biomethane, biofuels)primary
2 projects
HDGAS developed heavy-duty gas engines and COLHD optimized liquid biofuel and HVO drivetrains for commercial vehicles.
Truck aerodynamics and fuel efficiencysecondary
1 project
AEROFLEX — their only coordinated project — developed aerodynamic and flexible truck designs for long-distance road transport.
Connected and automated truck drivingsecondary
2 projects
ENSEMBLE worked on multi-brand truck platooning across Europe, while ROADART explored alternative diversity aspects for trucks including connectivity.
Commercial vehicle powertrain integrationprimary
4 projects
Across ECOCHAMPS, HDGAS, COLHD, and ASSURED, MAN consistently contributed powertrain integration for hybrid, electric, and gas-powered commercial vehicles.
Evolution & trajectory
How they've shifted over time
Early focus
Hybrid and gas powertrains
Recent focus
Electric vehicles and fast charging
MAN's early H2020 projects (2015-2018) centered on conventional powertrain improvements: hybrid drivetrains (ECOCHAMPS), heavy-duty gas engines (HDGAS), and truck research (ROADART). From 2017 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward electrification — fast charging infrastructure for electric trucks and buses (ASSURED), biofuel alternatives (COLHD), and autonomous driving via truck platooning (ENSEMBLE). This mirrors the broader commercial vehicle industry pivot from incremental fuel efficiency gains to zero-emission transport solutions.
MAN is moving from combustion-engine optimization toward full electrification of urban heavy-duty transport, making them a strong partner for projects targeting zero-emission logistics and charging infrastructure.
Collaboration profile
How they like to work
Role: active_partnerReach: European14 countries collaborated
MAN primarily participates as a partner (6 of 7 projects) rather than leading consortia, with only one coordinator role (AEROFLEX). With 131 unique consortium partners across 14 countries, they operate in large, multi-partner research consortia typical of EU transport projects. This makes them an accessible partner — they are used to integrating into complex consortia and providing vehicle-level validation for research outcomes developed by others.
MAN has built a broad European network of 131 unique partners across 14 countries, reflecting the collaborative nature of EU transport research. Their partnerships span vehicle OEMs, charging infrastructure developers, fuel suppliers, and research institutions across Western and Central Europe.
Why partner with them
What sets them apart
MAN brings something most research partners cannot: access to real commercial truck and bus platforms for validation and demonstration. While many partners contribute components or algorithms, MAN integrates these into production-grade vehicles and tests them under real operating conditions. For any consortium needing a heavy-duty vehicle OEM to demonstrate results at scale, MAN is one of a small number of credible European options.
Notable projects
Highlights from their portfolio
- AEROFLEXMAN's only coordinated project — they led research on next-generation aerodynamic truck design for long-distance transport.
- ASSUREDTheir largest thematic shift — focused entirely on fast charging solutions for electric buses and trucks in urban environments.
- ENSEMBLEAddressed multi-brand truck platooning, a high-profile topic for automated freight transport across Europe.
Cross-sector capabilities
Energy — charging infrastructure and grid integration for electric fleetsEnvironment — zero-emission urban logistics and air quality improvementManufacturing — commercial vehicle production and powertrain integrationDigital — connected driving and vehicle platooning automation
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